


Of Comfort and Fire

by meezer13



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: First Time, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2017-12-25 16:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 65,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/955273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meezer13/pseuds/meezer13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every day, Eren trains hard and endures Hanji's crazy experiments so that humanity can win this war once and for all. Being the brat's guardian isn't easy when Levi spends most of his day training him and then having to endure guard duty at night, especially when Eren starts having violent nightmares. Levi does what he can but soon he finds that he is getting addicted to comforting the teen. Slight angst and fluff ensue for now and the rating will go up as the relationship heats up. Levi's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The peaceful silence reigned each night in the old, abandoned castle, now the headquarters for the elite Recon Corps- at least until a new recruit took up residence in the dungeon.

“So annoying!”

“I haven’t gotten any rest the last few nights. All because of that brat.”

The commander said “just stay in the room with him, Corporal Rivaille. You’re a light sleeper and he is fully restrained. It’s just an extra precaution to have you guard him. It will be a piece of cake. He is humanity’s greatest hope and nothing can happen to him….blah, blah, blah.”

“How could I have been so gullible to get talked into this mess, “ I mutter under my breath. The flickering of the candles casts tiny shadows on the wall as I contemplate what I was thinking at the time. Something about the passion and fire in his eyes just drew me in like a moth to a flame and I just wanted to get involved- obviously a momentary lapse of sanity. I wasn’t able to break his resolve even though I beat the shit out of him. He was like a raw diamond- just needed some training to control himself. It’s not like I didn’t have anything else better to do. I rarely need more than a few hours sleep, so I spend my nights patrolling and scouring through Hanji’s reports, trying to find some glimmer of hope, some weakness that we can use to end this hellish way of life. Hoping my intuition about this kid is on the money.

It seems that now all things hang in the balance of this kid. “Humph”

Crap, hope that wasn’t too loud. I don’t want to take a chance of doing something to trigger one of sleeping beauty’s episodes over there. I glance over at the slender and peaceful figure shackled to the bed. Waiting to see if it happens again.

I used to enjoy the dark and silence when everyone else was sleeping or off on guard duty somewhere else. Now, almost every night, the silence of the castle is shattered as he has either nightmares or seizures or whatever the fuck they were. All I know is that I am resting in that hardass chair after a long day of training, having to play babysitter all night on top of it. Then out of the blue, he startles the heck out of me. Sometimes it just lasts a few moments and he quiets back down but last night was just awful. I never thought his thrashing and screaming would stop. 

It started around midnight. I had just gotten settled into that awful chair and was reading through some intelligence briefs. The brat was already in his restraints and asleep when I came in, which is good. Makes my life a whole lot easier- no chit chat, smalltalk nonsense or awkward silences if he is already in Dreamland when I come in. Guess Hanji had really exhausted him with her endless tests that day, as he didn’t even stir when the heavy stone door to the dungeon closed behind the soldier I was relieving. 

I walked back over to the wooden chair, sat down and before I knew it, Mr. Human Titan sat upright and let out a blood curdling scream. My paperwork goes flying all over the room, like a scattered deck of cards, as I stand up, ready to defend or kill. Doesn’t seem to be an immediate threat, the restraints hold tight and no crazy transformation takes place, thank goodness. I put my weapons aside for the moment. Holy Shit ! Hanji must be torturing this kid. Hope she is making as much progress as she thinks she is. I walked over to the bed and tried to shake him awake, but nothing seemed to work- only seemed to make him worse. The convulsions got stronger, chains thrashing around, hitting himself as well as me in the process. I tried shouting at him, “Wake up, Brat!! You’re hurting yourself and me! Wake up dammit!” Nothing… I tried a brisk slap across his cheek.

That didn’t seem to work either, only managed to get him screaming louder. “What the fuck, this is ridiculous!” I yell as I am knocked backwards onto my bum from a blow landing squarely across my chest from this kid. Even chained up, he still had room to thrash about- enough to hurt us both when I got close. The chains had now bruised up his face and he had nasty lacerations from the shackles on his wrist. He was getting blood all over his nightshirt and the bed linens from a busted lip- was it all his or some of mine too? I couldn’t quite tell, as I hurt all over at this point. Disgusting! What a hassle. I couldn’t leave him like this, the morning guard would come in and think I was beating up on this kid all night. I had to stop him from further damage. I got up off the floor and gave him one fast and hard kick across the face to wake him, knowing that as cruel as it was, it would be sure to wake him up and stop this torture. Blood splurts from a split lip and I await his reciprocal reaction.

Guess this brat is an expert at proving people wrong. I chastise myself for my stupidity since I should have known that if his own self-bashing with the chains didn’t wake him, my slapping and kicking was probably not going to do the trick. So how the heck was I going to wake this kid up or at least get him to calm down. My first priority was to stop the tremors since they were doing the most damage. The yelling and screaming was no fun either but at least that wasn’t causing physical damage- except maybe to my poor eardrums. I just didn’t know what else to do, a situation I was not accustomed to at all. Logic seemed to run out the window and instinct took over. I jumped up on the bed and wrapped my arms as tightly around this kid as I could. For a few moments, it was like trying to hold onto a wild stallion- rearing and bucking, but this didn’t last long. Soon the jerking motions slowed down to a steady tremble. I don’t know what I was thinking next but I started whispering gently to soothe the beast. “It’s going to be alright, just relax,” I repeated over and over and subconsciously found myself softly rocking the boy in my arms. After an hour of this, I had nearly rocked myself to sleep as well, the incredible heat coming off the brat’s body was making me extremely drowsy. Not to mention that he had beaten me up in his sleep. I snapped back to reality as I felt myself drifting off and was shocked that it had worked. The brat was sound asleep, not making a single motion or sound. He didn’t have any signs of trauma due to his healing ability but his night clothes and sheets were a mess. Yuck!! Fucking little monster !! He beats me up, makes a mess of himself, forces me to act like his wet nurse and all he can do is continue sleepy peacefully like it never happened. I release my hold on him and go about picking up all my scattered papers and changing his clothes and bed linens. What a jerk!!! I’ll work him twice as hard tomorrow during training to make up for this indignity.

Morning finally came, after what seemed like eons and sleeping beauty woke up, looking at me with those eyes. “Good morning Corporal, looks like you had a rough night, is that a black eye? Was there an attack?”

I stare back, mesmerized for a moment and amazed at his amnesia. “No brat, just the usual when it comes to you,” as I stormed out of the room, anxious to tend to my own injuries and get a nice, warm bath.


	2. Chapter 2

And thus started a nightly ritual of torture. 

Most nights, it was the same. I would start my shift guarding Jaeger around 11pm. He was almost always asleep by then. We both had very rigorous schedules- training for the both of us to keep in top condition and then meetings for me and experiments for him. Hanji was not wasting any time in case of more kidnapping attempts. She said she was so close to finding a solution to rid the world of Titans forever and her feverish pace was putting the brat through the ringer. I didn’t envy the kid one bit- but he had to do what he had to do, just as the rest of us. It is a do or die situation as we are all reminded of daily. Guess this was just that whelp’s way of dealing with all the shit he has to endure every day. He didn’t seem affected in the least during his waking hours. In fact, I hated to admit how proud I was of how quickly he learned to trust the rest of his group. Indeed, I was down-right shocked by how quickly he learned to fully control his Titan-self. There were a few extremely tense moments, but nothing that a few more kicks to the head couldn’t cure. 

Nighttime was a different story altogether. Without fail, as soon as I would get comfortable, or as close as one can get with that stupid, wooden chair, the brat would start having one of his episodes. Some evenings were worse than others, ranging from just small whimpers and shudders to full on caterwauling and bed-lurching thrashing. No matter how violent, the kid never woke up during an episode and was oblivious to anything that happened upon waking in the morning. I continued to try snapping him out of it, but the only thing that ever worked was to get into the bed with him and embrace him until he calmed down. On the really bad nights, I had to soothe him with comforting words for hours. It was a nauseating process. Good thing it was Winter and it was freezing in the dungeon of this place. The heat that brat puts off came in handy and that bed was so much more comfortable than that chair from hell. Not that I would ever admit that to anyone else. 

 

This cycle went on for about three months – most of the winter. The most tumultuous time of my life. Training hard all day, mobilizing to fight in the bitter cold when needed and getting next to no sleep all night thanks to a certain brat. It got harder and harder to justify the occasional split and bloody lip and black eye to fellow officers. How do you explain that one of the most powerful soldiers in the corps gets beaten up by a restrained teenager while trying to get in close to him and give him comforting hugs and soothing words. The stupid kid didn’t have to worry about it since any damage was gone before he woke up in the morning and I always made sure he was all cleaned up as well. Did he even have any idea how hard it was to get him changed? Sucker was thin but heavy- all muscle due to all the recent training. Guess I can’t complain too much since the view was extremely nice at least. But it would have been devastating to my ego if anyone had ever found out my dirty little secret- thank goodness no one was hardly ever in the castle at night.

So why did I start to feel a tiny bit of disappointment on the one or two nights when the kid actually slept all the way through to morning? Maybe because I was forced to sit in that hard chair and shiver all night- yes, that had to be it. I had a duty to protect the teenager and I don’t take any of my responsibilities lightly, so that must have been the explanation why I put up with such sappy nonsense for all those months. I would never be caught dead showing such concern and uttering comforting sentiments to some kid half my age.

This morning, Hanji came to the castle early. I was just about to leave my guard post chair when she came in yelling and hollering about success. She was successful all right. In waking up the brat before I was able to leave. Damn her.

“What’s all the commotion about?” said a sleepy voice from the bed. 

“Oh Eren, good you’re awake. I have some great news. Today is hopefully, the last day that I need to use you as a guinea pig.” beamed Hanji.

“That’s wonderful news.”

“Yes, I have to warn you that this will probably be the most painful experiment to do since I need to get some cells from your spinal cord but once it is over, I can finally finish up work on the formula we spoke about to rid ourselves of the Titans once and for all. Oh and hopefully, this will mean that your problem we discussed together last week will stop as well.”

“Problem? What problem?” I ask Hanji.

“Oh nothing much, just a little issue Eren mentioned to me. Oh, here comes the morning guard to unlatch your shackles Eren. I have a meeting this morning with the Corporal and some Generals, so I will meet you in the lab later on.”

“Ok, I’ll see you then Hanji,” the boy replied.

I walk down the hallway with Hanji and stop her before entering the meeting room. We were early anyway. “So what is this “little” issue with Jaeger. You know when it comes to him, nothing is too infinitesimal.”

Hanji looked back at me with a questioning stare. “I didn’t think you cared enough to worry about that poor boy. You never seem to go out of the way to be nice to him or anything.”

“Nice isn’t what he needs. Training and protection is. I think I provide both of those admirably. And I can’t keep him fully protected if there is something bothering him, right?”

“Well, I guess I can confide in you with it. Eren never told me that I had to keep it secret or anything. I feel awful since I think part of the problem is me, or at least my experiments.”

I cock my head up at this woman with the coldest stare my grey eyes could muster and replied “Well, big shock there. You use him as a human/titan pin cushion for goodness sake. You’re lucky he seems to be strong as an ox and has almost complete control at this point. Otherwise I think he would have eaten all of us by now.”

“Calm down, Levi. It’s nothing serious. He just told me that he has nightmares every night, some of them really bloody and graphic involving his friends, so it’s unnerving for him. I assured him we all have nightmares with the life we live, right Corporal?”

“Yeah, you can say that again.” Nightmares, I think to myself, they must be some really horrific ones from what I have seen him do in his sleep.

“Was that all he told you?” I ask, worried that the kid may have mentioned anything more that would be incriminating.

“Yeah, he added that he thought some of the herbal supplements I gave him were causing some weird reactions, like maybe some hallucinations.”

“Hallucinations??? What? Just what have you been giving Jaeger?”

“Not really sure if you could call them hallucinations. Eren mentioned that during his nightmares, he would feel a presence come to soothe him. Not in the dream itself. He said he never saw a face or figure. He just felt himself being embraced, like being swaddled in a blanket or something. Just some sort of comforting force that would speak sometimes, helping him through the visions in his bad dreams. He asked me if I believed in angels since he thinks this presence is like his guardian angel or some such nonsense.”

I try to hide my shock from hearing this from Hanji but I am afraid, my wide-eyed, slack jaw expression gave me away even though it was just for a fleeting moment. When the hell did the brat realize that there was someone trying to calm him down every night. Why hadn’t he said anything before this. Crap, did he have any idea who it was and how could I try to pry more info from Hanji without her getting suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapters are short but that will allow me to post them quicker and hopefully keep me from rambling on too much. Hope you are enjoying!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

Shit. Other people start arriving for the meeting so I don’t get to press her further. At least, it gives me the opportunity to get away before I accidently blurt out any incriminating information. Hanji was looking at me as if she was dying to ask me a question, so crisis averted for now at least. I try to slow down my rapid pulse and walk in with the Generals calmly and discuss the latest developments we managed to get from our latest outing. 

The meeting seemed to drone on forever. Hanji explained in full detail that after today, she was able to stop the experiments. Other than the spinal cord cell sample for today, she had all the responses, data and whatever else she needed from this kid. Then she said she would just be working on the finishing touches of her plan so the Survey Corps could put it into action. You could tell that everyone in the room was starting to see a glimmer of hope for humanity’s future. Just maybe, there was a chance. I just wanted to get out of that room.

When the meeting disbanded, I tried to corner Hanji again, but being the slippery, free spirit she is, she was already off to her lab to give Jaeger one final afternoon of excruciating pain. She was such as sadist- probably one of the reasons that we both got along so well. That and our mutual determination to gain back freedom for the human race. I will have to try to grill her further later on today at dinner. I really need to know if that kid has any idea who his so-called angel is. Definitely can’t have him finding out so close to their final mission. We both needed to have clear heads and for the kid to still take orders without question. Who knows if the whelp would ever be able to trust his Corporal if he knew what he did for him every night. What a mess. This is what I get for trying to do something nice.

 

Before I know it, the sun is setting, casting a fiery glow across the courtyard of the old castle. I never did get a chance to speak to Hanji again- she kept herself locked up in her lab all day and never came down for diner. I heard the brat screaming in agony at least a few times so I know she had gotten her final sample. I doubt I’ll be seeing her at all for a few days. Hopefully that means the kid will be exhausted and already asleep by the time I head down to the dungeon for my nightly shift. I don’t think I can look him in the eye, knowing that he suspects someone is coming to his aid and comforting him in his sleep. I guess I should be glad it seems he is oblivious as to who it could be. I’m also grateful Hanji hadn’t tried to question me further either about my observations while Jaeger is having an episode. I’m sure if he thought hard enough, he would come to a valid conclusion. Thank goodness logic and reasoning were not his strong suit. His blond friend was the strategic master; this guy was the one full of passion and determination to use his brawn and sheer will to defend whatever he deemed needing protection without any thought to his own preservation. Hanji on the other hand would definitely be able to put two and two together if she hadn’t already. She knew both Levi and now this kid pretty well due to all the recent interaction.

Right now, that package of muscle and fire was sound asleep in his bed as I entered his room. My luck seems to be holding out for the time being. I relieve the soldier who was on the daytime shift and the large, stone door closes behind him with a thud. Alone again with the brat, just waiting for his nightly episodes of terror. I expect it to be a bad one if the amount of pain he experiences during the day has anything to do with the intensity of his nightmares later that evening. Hanji had warned him it would be painful to get that last cell sample and if I could hear his screams outside the castle while training, it had to be almost unbearable. 

So I settle down in that wonderful, wooden chain and brace myself for the inevitable. A few hours go by and nothing happens. Maybe all that pain just knocked him out for the entire night, or maybe it’s all subconscious. Now that he knows the experiments are over, he can rest at ease... This teenage boy is just one big enigma.

All I know for certain is that it is getting damn cold and I have no excuse to reach for my nightly source of heat. How pathetic have I become? I should have brought my cloak but I haven’t needed it in so long. Jerk! It’s just like him to be unpredictable in his predictability. I have no choice but to try to get comfortable in this rigid and icy chair. Maybe the extreme cold will help numb some of the painful bruises I got from the thrashing titan boy the other night. 

Another hour passed by and I was finally just on the verge of drifting off. That’s when the other shoe dropped. Son of a bitch, as soon as I am not expecting any outbursts from the sleeping figure over there, he starts screaming like he did earlier today while being skewered by one of Hanji’s long syringes. I lurch backwards, the stupid chair goes flying and breaks. Oh well, no big loss but I am none too happy to have my rear hit the stone floor with a thud. It takes me a moment to recover from the shock and I head over to the bed to silence the screaming whelp. I wrap my arms around him tightly, the warmth instantly enveloping me. Feels so good after nearly getting frostbite. The screaming doesn’t stop so I try rocking him gently- that almost always does the trick but has no effect tonight. I then remember that there are still a few officers in the castle tonight- having come a long distance for the meeting, they were going to head out tomorrow morning. Shit, I had to get this brat to stop before he woke them up. If they come down here and see him in this state, they will never trust that he is stable enough to complete the plans they had. I try to hold him tighter-no change. I then attempt all kinds of reassuring words. “Hey kid, it’s ok. Calm down. No one is hurting you. I won’t let them. Shhhh. Eren, please stop yelling. Eren, please.” 

I couldn't believe the sentimental crap that I was spewing. What the hell was I saying- what if he woke up. Oh gods, I was desperate to get him to stop. I even realized I had called him by his name. But nothing seemed to work. I looked around to see if maybe I could grab a sheet and gag the wailing kid, but he had kicked it off the bed while thrashing around. Shit, what can I do? Fuck....

What happened next, I can only surmise was the result of my total desperation, my heightened state of panic and crazy instincts? This was different than being in battle. I had to protect myself and those under my command at all costs. I had a plethora of experience in that; I had no experience when it came to calming someone down. Quite the opposite, I was more often than not, the one responsible for undoing a person. I guess that made this brat the exception to everything I am. I silenced him the only way I knew how at that moment. I quickly turned his face down to mine and firmly placed my lips on his. I kissed him long and hard, hoping it would be enough. I felt his breath catch for a moment as our lips made contact, thinking for sure, I had woken the teen up. I didn't break the connection but ceased movement to see if his eyes would rush open. I figured I could make a flying leap off the bed if he showed signs of waking. Maybe he wouldn't even know. Instead, I feel him shift positions slightly and find a very luscious, warm mouth kissing me back and his strong, shackled arms wrap around me tightly. I thought for sure he had woken up and was messing with me, but he showed no signs of consciousness. Just an occasional mutter when had to finally stop for a second to get some oxygen....I think I heard him say something about an angel and soap. All I could think of was that I was dangerously drowning in the intense heat he was putting off. And where the hell did the kid learn to kiss like this? Soon I could feel both of our bodies reacting the way a male would when kissing someone erotically. This was dangerous-he’s my subordinate…he’s a kid…he’s not even conscious…shit. But we didn’t stop; couldn’t stop- I can’t even remember how long we were at it- seemed like forever. Dizzy and intoxicated, I must have drifted off to sleep alongside the brat, totally unsure when our lips finally separated. 

Thank goodness I am a fastidious, early riser and got up right before the kid started to stir. Too bad, I didn't get to leave the room before he woke up fully though. Seems my luck had totally run out. Shit. He stretched, yawned and turned to me with a huge smile that blinded me from across the room. "Good morning Heichou. I had the most wonderful dream last night." Double shit...kill me now!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a little bit of action- not enough to raise the rating just yet. We are getting there slowly, I promise. Hope you like.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I am at a loss for words; the feeling and taste of his lips were still lingering on mine. My head is a whirlwind of confusing thoughts and emotions. I can only stand here, bracing myself for him to reveal what or who this dream was about. It didn’t take much thinking to figure out who this mystery “angel” could be and I was trying to make up some explanation while waiting for him to confront me with his suspicions.

The kid mentions that Hanji had discussed his dream encounters with me and wants to know if I have any clue as the origins of this mystery. He figures that since I am the one watching over him at night, I might have some inkling about what was going on. “Whew,” I breathe a sigh of relief. I can only reply that I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary- just that he would seem to be having bad dreams quite frequently. 

I try to change the subject; but we all know this kid is tenacious. He continues to recollect his dream experiences in vivid detail…something about how he can still smell a familiar but unknown scent when he wakes up. Dammit, I may have to change the type of soap I use!

Where the hell was that morning guard with the key to unlock the brat and let me go about my day? Of all days for him to be late! I will be sure to make his punishment severe.   
So I am forced to hear the kid explain this wonderful dream he had over and over. He had been feeling excruciating pain and his angel came to him again, this time not only embracing him but kissing away his discomfort as well. I couldn’t help but notice his cheeks blush to a deep crimson as he was explaining this to me. Admittedly, it is thrilling to see how innocently embarrassed he is to be speaking of such things. I’m sure that being just a teen, he hasn’t had much experience in this arena. Even for me and all of my years, there was rarely time for such things during my military service. I am again forced to wonder just how and where he learned to kiss so well.

Listening to him recollect the events of his dream, and seeing the passion and fire in his eyes as he explained the details, I also couldn’t help remembering the way it had felt not that long ago our lips connected and his heat surrounding me... It was breaking my staunch composure and I had to get out of there quickly. Thank goodness, the morning guard finally got his late ass there and I am able to escape before I became completely undone. 

I run as fast as I can back to my room. I close the door and lock it behind me. Normally, I’d be heading to breakfast this time of day but I have no appetite at all, at least not for food. My body seems to be yearning for something else this morning. All I can think of is the vision of Jaeger’s blushed face and the way it had felt when we had been intertwined and kissing. This is not good. I am getting all hot and bothered by these visions. Then to put the icing on the cake, my body remembers what it had started the night before. I felt my nipples start to tingle and my cock start to twitch. Shit- this is beyond inappropriate, it is downright perverse. I shouldn’t be thinking such things about one of my recruits but my body has other ideas. Maybe a nice bath would take my mind off of my little “problem.”

No such luck there, as I settle into the tub, the warm water surrounding me and reminding me of how it felt to be in his arms. I can still taste him on my lips as well, despite washing my face. I have no other choice than to take care of my raging erection myself- there was no way it was going away on its own anytime soon. It’s been ages since I felt any type of arousal so a few strokes of my hand and a vision in my mind of Jaeger’s rosy-cheeked face contorted in pleasure as I claim him as my own are all I need to explode all over the tub. Fuck, I am really in trouble now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is very short but we get a little bit of fun. I'll have the next one up in a day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After my “bath” and then a shower to clean up from said bath, I get dressed and head out for the day’s training. At least that will keep my mind off of a certain brat for a while.   
I hear Hanji calling my name just as I am about to step outside and put my maneuver gear on. I wait for her to catch up with me, hoping she’ll let me ask her a few more questions about Jaeger and his dreams, nightmares, and angel. Before I can, however, she exclaims, “So it’s you!” 

“What?” I ask and try to act ignorant, hoping she is not referring to what I think she is.

“You-it’s you. Eren’s angel. I saw you last night.”

At least I am now a little more in control after releasing some tension and I maintain my steely, cold glare at Hanji. “Saw me where and how could anyone in their right mind, mistake me for an angel?”  
“Oh come on Levi, I’m not stupid. I heard poor Eren screaming last night and was worried he was still in pain from the extraction earlier. So I went down to the dungeon to see if I could give him some pain medicine. When I got to the door, it seemed he had stopped and when I looked in the tiny window in the door I saw why.”

I continue to play cool and collected. I raise my right eyebrow inquisitively, prompting her to go on with her story.

“You and Eren were in bed together, kissing!”

Shit.

“So you saw that huh? I have a perfectly logical explanation. I had to shut the brat up somehow- he was going to wake up everyone within 5 miles. I tried to snap him out of it, but nothing worked to get him to shut up, except that.”

Hanji just looks back at me like I have just transformed into a Titan. “You know, Levi, most people would say that they have feelings for each other, wanted to comfort one another or even that they were horny…only you would say that you were kissing someone to keep them quiet.”

I just reply with my usual “Tch”

“Levi, what does Eren think about all of this? He seemed to be reciprocating well enough?”

“Hell if I know Hanji; the brat was asleep the entire time. He did mention that he had a wonderful dream this morning when he woke up and I was not about to shatter his illusions”  
“You have to let him know- you can’t just continue like this. He told me he feels an emotional attachment to this “person” from his dreams, you know. He confided in me that he had an inkling of who it was but he wouldn’t tell me- saying I wouldn’t believe him anyway. Maybe he does have a suspicion after all. If it’s been you this whole time….”

“Look Hanji, I don’t need the lecture from you. If he knew it was me- one, he’d probably die of shock or disgust- maybe both. That and what if it affected him in battle- caused unnecessary distractions. We can’t afford for him to hesitate or do something that might endanger the final mission.”

“Levi, I don’t think you give Eren enough credit. He doesn’t do anything half-assed. Maybe you’re the one afraid to admit what you would do if it came down to a critical decision in battle? Hmm? He’s proven time and again that he can be trusted and is honest to a fault. Maybe you shouldn’t worry about what might happen in the middle of a melee and enjoy what can happen every day if you let Eren know how you feel. ”

“And just how do you think I feel about the whelp, Hanji? I’d sure as hell would love to know since I don’t appear to have a clue myself.”

“Seemed to me like you both knew exactly how you felt about each other last night.”

“Great, so you are basing your conclusions on observing a sleep-deprived man, who also happened to be freezing and an unconscious, hormonal teenager.”

“Fine, if you don’t believe me, then just sit down tonight and talk to Eren for a little while. No barking out orders, no sarcasm- just talk to him. I think you’ll be surprised about what you can learn about him and maybe even about yourself, Levi.”

“And you are going to skulk around the door again and eavesdrop, like it’s one of your twisted experiments?”

“Ha ha. You know me so well, Levi. Use that wonderful intuition on the kid tonight and I am sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” And with that Hanji skips away hopping and singing to herself. 

Bitch. What the hell does she know? A lot more than me, it seems…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about another short chapter. I love adding the Hanji dynamic- she is awesome. I will continue to try to update as quickly as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tell him how I feel, she says. Like it’s just that easy.

Hey, kid, do you know you are really warm and comfy to snuggle up to on cold nights? Wouldn’t that just make the best conversation with the brat. I’m sure I would just be rewarded with one of Jaeger’s confused stares. He might even laugh- what could he possibly see in me anyway? Wouldn’t that be perfect to be mocked by the kid. Completely unacceptable for an underling to lose respect for his senior officer.

I definitely had no plans on speaking to the kid as Hanji suggested.

Stupid Hanji. She just had to go poking her nose into matters that didn’t concern her.

I would just continue my evening guard duty of the human titan and just have to make sure to be extra discreet so the kid doesn’t catch on more than he may have surmised already. 

So the next few nights, I try to have as little interaction with Jaeger as possible. I didn’t think it was possible to find an even more uncomfortable chair than the one I had broken but here it is, cold and rough and hard. I swear I got a splinter in my ass from the damn thing. 

I guess the ceasing of experimentation by demon Hanji really helped, as the kid only had one or two outbursts those evenings. I only had to hold onto him for a few minutes each time to settle him back to a peaceful state. Proof that my occasional kicks and slaps to his head during training were not causing any long term trauma, but it gave me second thoughts of ever letting Hanji get her hands on him for any reason whatsoever ever again.

I spent most of the evenings trying to catch up on some reports. Seemed he wouldn’t even need me there to comfort him before long, as I anxiously awaited his next screaming fit. I found that it was extremely hard to concentrate on the stats and recruit rosters when all I could think about was the teen sleeping in the bed across the room. Why was I looking forward to him having a nightmare? I couldn’t take my eyes off of him for more than a few minutes at a time- hoping that he would need me to jump to his rescue. What the hell…why was I feeling disappointed that the kid wasn’t suffering? Maybe deep down, I was just a big a sadist as Hanji is. 

The nights that he slept soundly through seemed to drag on forever- the morning guard couldn’t get there fast enough. I would snap and punish the guard severely, if he was just a few moments late. On the few nights that Jaeger had his screaming fits, I found that I would cling onto him longer and longer- unnecessarily. I just couldn’t stand the idea of letting go. I knew I had to but I did not have the willpower to break the connection once I was holding him. Maybe I would have to go to Erwin to ask for another soldier to take over the night shift. If Hanji could stay up late enough to spy on him, as he had seen the glint of her glasses through the window on the last few nights now, then she could baby sit the brat. I’ve never shirked a duty in my whole career and I had vowed to personally watch over him but I honestly didn’t think I could take much more- I was becoming desperate and dependant. These last 3 months had gotten me addicted to a certain teen and it was time I went cold-turkey. And what the kid didn’t know and would never know, couldn’t hurt him. 

I went to Erwin and asked to assign someone else as the night guard for Jaeger- I claimed that I found that after over three months, I did need some more sleep than what I was getting. Eren had proven he could control his anger and endured the restraints just as a precautionary measure to appease those who still had their doubts. Erwin just looked at me dubiously; he had seen me training harder each day than I had in years recently, but I assured him it was just because I wanted to be in top shape for the final mission. Definitely not because I needed a distraction to keep my mind off of a certain green-eyed recruit and his sensuous lips. Nope- no emotional or sexual frustration going on there- just a desire to be in top, physical shape. Yep. I just had to convince him and myself of this.

Erwin replied that it would take at least a few days to find a replacement and that he would keep me posted. He expressed that he would really prefer that I reconsider since we had seemed to achieve a mutual trust and that the boy needed that more than anything. Way to hit me right in the gut with those sentiments, Erwin. I thanked him and figured a few more days couldn’t hurt any more. I walked off to clean my office, a sinking feeling of loss overtaking me. Fucking brat…what had he done to me? I had to go find some dumbass recruits to threaten and intimidate- that might make me feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter- the next one is longer, I promise. I am trying to keep it all in character and resisting the urge to go super fluffy, so please bear with it a little longer. Thanks so far for the support- it is very much appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Two days later, and I am still feeling miserable, even worse than before, if that was even fucking possible. Training had just ended for the day and even the backbreaking, grueling regimen couldn’t keep my mind off that green-eyed Titan boy. The one who was now cleaning the stables and caring for the horses, bending over to pick up some hay and torturing me unknowingly with the view he is providing. How fucking pathetic am I that I feel a tiny pang of jealousy towards the horses?

I am not sure how long I was staring- but I didn’t even notice Erwin come up behind me.

“Good afternoon, corporal? Taking in some scenery?” he laughed as I winced just a little at being caught ogling Jaeger.

“Just taking my job seriously to watch over the kid, Commander.” I replied as coolly as possible. 

“You’ve always exceeded my expectations, Levi, no matter what the task I assign.” He glances back over at the stables where I had been mesmerized just moments before. “You’ve done an amazing job with Jaeger. The kid has made some incredible strides since he’s been here. He’s become so much stronger and agile with the gear and we haven’t had any further issues with his Titan self. Seems he has almost full control now, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, Commander, I daresay, he has accomplished incredible feats in the last few months.”

“But…” the blond man hesitated and I take the bait.

“But what, sir?”

“He is in control and follows most of his orders, but I see that his will has not been broken in the least. He still lashes out on occasion, disregarding your orders, when he is overly stressed out. Still so full of passion and fire to kill Titans, no matter what else is at stake.”

“Yes, but nothing that some physical punishment can’t remedy.”

“Hmmm, that does remind me of someone else I know. I’m sure you realize who I am referring to, Levi?”

“If you are implying that he is like I was, obviously, I do see the similarities, but it’s hardly the exact same situation.”

“I think you two are more alike than you’d care to admit. You both had rough childhoods, had to kill at an early age and both of you have an unbreakable will. Eren has admitted to me that he sees himself in you and hopes to one day, be as great as you.”

“Tch- he wants to be old and bitter?” I laugh sarcastically.

“No Levi, he wants to make a difference in this war. He wants to work with you to save humanity. I furthermore believe that it was fated for you two to get together. You have accomplished more as a pair in a few months that anyone has in many years. He desperately needed you to help him get under control and although I am not sure what you needed from him but seems you have gotten it. You appear to have a renewed purpose, fire rekindled, like when I first found you and brought you in.”

“Well, I did take on the responsibility for his life if he gets out of control so if that is the renewed purpose you speak of, then I guess you are correct. Have you had any luck finding a replacement for the nightly guard duty, Erwin?”

“About that, seems no one wants the task- there is still an underlying fear of what the boy could do. Hanji was supposed to be checking on a few prospects this morning. Oi Hanji! Can you come over here?” the commander yelled to the woman who was now next to Eren by the stables, discussing some such nonsense. 

The woman bounded over to us in record time in her usual boisterous manner. “Commander! Corporal! Good day to you!”

It was hard to believe that these two were an item. Neither ever showed any outward signs of affection that would give them away. During the day, it was nothing but professionalism but being that Hanji’s room is next to mine, the sounds that occasionally emanate from there after dark were anything but plutonic. The woman was an animal, I swear. Thank goodness they had their little rendezvous times more often in Erwin’s quarters where there was additional room and privacy. Who the hell wants to listen to all of that while trying to concentrate on work? Maybe I was just a tad bit jealous?

“Hanji, did you happen to interview those soldiers for the position of guarding Eren at night?” Erwin asked.

“Ah yes. Sadly, no one seems to be a night owl in this group, except for you and me, right Levi?” she teases as she slaps me on the back. “Besides, I don’t think there is anyone else who could possibly take your place, with your level of skill, Heichou.”

“Oh yes, Hanji, it is extremely difficult to watch a sleeping teen who is shackled to his bed. No one else but me could handle such a delicate task.”

“True! But you do handle him so delicately when the need arises, don’t you, Levi?”

“What…?” I stammer back at this crazy woman and look over at Erwin nervously to see if I can determine his reaction to Hanji’s statement (accusation). Nosy witch that she is.   
She further puts me on the spot with her next question. “Have you had a chance to have that little chat with Eren about what we discussed the other day?” Why did she have to go and throw that out in front of the Commander who has already caught me enamored by the green-eyed teen’s ass earlier? This is just going to encourage a whole lot of unwanted questions. Luckily Erwin seemed a bit baffled and failed to enquire any further for the moment.

“No, I told you already that I don’t see any reason to discuss that matter with Jaeger,” wishing she would drop the inquisition and I start to excuse myself to go back to the paperwork awaiting me at my office. I also hoped that the two of them would go off on one of their little trysts together so Erwin would forget all about what just transpired. The last thing I need is two people pestering me about Eren Jaeger.

As I was walking away, I swear I heard her whisper under her breath, “That’s a shame. Guess I need to take matters into my own hands,” as she shot me one of those glances that reeked of mischief and I quickened my pace back to my office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, wonder what Hanji is planning? Sorry for the slight cliffhanger. I am almost done the next chapter so it won't be a long wait.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

Try as I might to concentrate on the new mountain of paperwork on my desk, I was just too restless to get anything done. Not only did I have to deal with flashbacks of Eren’s warm embraces and kisses, but now I had both Hanji and Erwin conspiring against me by riding my ass about the teen. And there was no relief in sight, no replacement for the night shift. Shit! How could these morons still think the kid was dangerous? Yeah, I spend a huge percentage of my day around him so I know him better than most but still, if anything untoward had ever occurred, everyone would know immediately. He hadn’t had any incidents at all since he first got here. The chances of any spontaneous titan shifting were extremely low. Guess most of the new recruits are still too green and a bit too lazy for my liking. If I weren’t dedicating most of my time to my own and the Brat’s training, I’d be whipping them into shape in no time. That thought did bring a slight smirk to my face. So being that I couldn’t concentrate on administrative duties, I figured, I could wander around and punish some recruits with some good, old-fashioned cleaning duty. 

 

Before I knew it, dinner was served and I had only gotten to reprimand 2 recruits. My dour mood wasn’t getting any better and I really didn’t have much of an appetite. Much to my chagrin, Hanji decided to sit down next to with her annoyingly meddlesome and rambunctious self and my lack of appetite quickly turned to nausea.  
For a change, the squad leader actually had some good news about the results of her research. She was very close to concocting some formula that would ensure the destruction of the Titan population and would be giving a briefing in the next few weeks with the senior officers. The plan seemed solid and we all felt better knowing progress was being made. Then of course shitty glasses had to be a fucking buzz kill and bring up the brat again. On and on about why she couldn’t understand the reason I didn’t want to discuss things with the teen, blah, blah, blah... I finally just had to get up and walk away before I decided to drown myself in the uneaten soup in front of me to make her stop her incessant babbling. For the second time that day, I heard her mutter under her breath something I didn’t quite catch. Sounded like “sorry, you asked for it.” Fuck, I guess I better be constantly vigilant around her or who knows what the hell craziness she was planning in that sadistic head of hers.

At least, I should be safe while down in the dungeon with Jaeger. It’s still a little too early to head down there so I decide to take a walk around the perimeter of the castle. It’s still frigid outside but maybe the fresh air would help my stifling mood. Maybe I could also find some more recruits to terrorize- the day was not yet over.

As luck would have it, I only got the pleasure of punishing one newbie- he was trying to smuggle out a few rolls from dinner to his room. Must be related to that Sasha kid. Oh well, at least it guaranteed that I would have a sparkling clean office for now, as the kid spent half the night tidying up my room. 

I shoo him back to his room when he is done, conveniently just in time for me to head down to the dungeon. It’s still pretty cold down here; I made sure I have my cloak with me since I know the chances are the brat won’t have any nightmares. 

When I arrive, the guard before me is just settling the teen into bed and locking the restraints. Crap, he’s still awake. Hopefully, the brat is tired and he’ll drift off soon. Unfortunately, as the guard leaves, with the thud of the door, Jaeger is still sitting up in the bed.

“Good evening, sir,” he greets me cheerfully.

“Evening, brat,” I reply coolly, hoping he is not in a chatty mood but I can tell he doesn’t appear sleepy in the least. Great- just my luck.

“Corporal, did Hanji tell you that she has completed the formula? She said it will be capable of destroying all of the Titans and we just need to come up with a plan to expose of them to it? It’s amazing. We might finally be at the end of this war.” He was so animated and I could barely understand what he was saying over the clanging of the chains. It was so rare to see someone all fired up with hope that it actually brought a slight grin to my mouth.

“Tch. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, Jaeger. There is an end in sight, but there is still a shit-ton of work to do to get there.”

“I realize that, but to know that all of this might be possible in the near future is just amazing.” He bowed his head slightly, a bit embarrassed at being so overzealous. He cheeks blushed slightly and his long eyelashes brushed against the pinkness. So cute. His optimism was contagious but we didn’t have the luxury of getting too confident too soon. And wait, did I just think of him as “cute?” What the fuck? I try to snap back to reality.

“If all goes according to plan and all of us go the extra mile to make it work, we have a chance. For now, you need your rest. Tomorrow is your busiest training day of the week.” I was hoping he’d go to sleep soon, I was not one for idle chit chat and I couldn’t help myself from thinking that I would much rather have him do better things with his mouth than talk.

Fortunately for me, he settled down in the bed, drawing the blankets up to his chin, “Good night, Heichou.”

“Sweet dreams, brat,” I wished him although deep down in my twisted mind, I truly hoped he would have a nightmare or two.

Overall, it was a quiet night. The splintery chair was as uncomfortable as ever and there was a still quite a chill in the air. The stirring and murmurs from the bed were minimal but I had immediately rushed over to the side of the sleeping figure instinctively at the slightest noise. A simple touch to his face as I brushed the hair from his eyes was all he needed and he settled down immediately. I stood there looking down, strangely captivated at the sight for half of the night, just in case he needed anything further. Subconsciously, I was grateful that no one had volunteered for this position yet. I knew it was dangerous to continue, the chances of getting in too deep increasing with each night that passed. However, I liked to indulge my selfish side on occasion as well, so it was a no win situation no matter how I looked at it.   
Before I knew it, it was morning and thankfully, the guard was quite punctual. I was able to leave before the teen woke up. We had a busy schedule today so I went about my morning ritual to prepare for the day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, sorry. Hanji is taking her time plotting her next move so we will have to wait just a little longer to see what happens. I promise it won't take too long but it's hard to keep Levi as the snarky, badass he is, but also have a caring side. Thanks for all the support so far!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Today, is the day of the week that I spend the longest going over maneuver techniques with the recruits and then a special 2-hour session for advanced techniques for those like Ackerman and Kirschstein. Of course Eren is also always a part of this assembly as well, even though he didn’t really need it at this point. Then I get to pass the brat off to Hanji for a few hours while she did her thing with “Titan-Controlling” exercises. They went over every possible scenario that might come up in a battle situation, from recovery, hardening of certain parts and endurance. Of course I had to keep a watchful eye on the two from my office as I try to multitask between paperwork and surveillance in case I needed to cut a certain teen from a smoking husk of Titan flesh. 

Normally, Jaeger will run off to dinner right after Hanji’s regimen, but today, the two of them spent at least an hour discussing something, and I caught them looking over at me on occasion. What was she up to? Hopefully, she’s not putting any ideas in the brat’s head. Her recent mumblings come to mind, so I am still guarded, never knowing what to expect from that insane woman. The two finally separate, a huge grin on the woman’s face and I go back to my paperwork, contemplating what the two had been scheming. I shudder to think of a million scenarios- each one worse than the last. Damn my vivid imagination.

I head down to dinner late, as always, and most people had already retired to their quarters for the evening, just how I like it- quiet and clean. After, a quick meal of the same old crappy soup and semi-hard bread, I head back to my room for a bit of rest before it’s time for my nightly shifter-sitting. This is normally the only time I actually get away from having to be glued to the brat’s side, since he spends his evenings before bed with the rest of his friends in the squad. I am confident that should an emergency ever arise, Ackerman and Arlert are more than capable of getting Jaeger under control. 

I try to take a quick nap but my mind is still going a million miles a minute. I can’t help but be anxious over whatever craziness Hanji was planning. Add that to the already tumultuous emotions that seemed to take root after dealing with the brat every night. Feelings in general were disquieting and foreign to me and I prided myself in staying aloof and objective. So why do I have to be thinking about Jaeger during the short respite of peace and quiet that I get when away from him. It’s not like I am fucking lonely or something. That would be totally lame. I must just be over stressed and tired, causing me to think about a certain green-eyed teen and how warm he is at night and how sweet his lips are and….Shit, I must be deeper into a sleep-deprived stupor than I thought, as I lay down and try to rest.   
After about 30 minutes, I feel myself drifting off and manage to get about an hour long nap before I have to head down to the dungeon. I wake up refreshed and feeling better until I realize that I had been dreaming right before I awoke, the last glimpse of my mind’s imagination being beautiful green eyes smiling at me fading as consciousness resurfaces. Why me?

I leave the comfort of my bed and head down to the dungeon again, part of me anxious and the other half elated. A paradox of stupid emotions- wish I could just carve them out of me like I can extract the brat from his Titan form. It would be much more convenient than trying to keep pushing them further down into my subconscious, where they are free to pop up at the least opportune moments. 

Not surprising, Jaeger is already sound asleep when I arrive. The training regimen today was pretty brutal. We had to make sure everyone was in top condition now that we were about to launch what should be our final offensive. I brought some paperwork to do since I didn’t get much done earlier so I pull my friend, the chair from hell, over to the desk on the side of the room and attempt to concentrate on the food supply lists. Too bad the sleeping figure was much more intriguing and easier on the eyes than these endless lists of damn potatoes, carrots and wheat. I find myself being distracted, compelled to keep glancing over at his serene visage. I should have known the peace and quiet wouldn’t last since for once I actually wasn’t prepared for it. The brat hadn’t experienced any episodes the last few nights. Seems he was making up for lost time, as he scares the shit out of me with a blood curdling scream and then proceeds to thrash so hard, the bed was actually moving. I end up breaking the pencil I was trying to write with in half and again stumble backwards, falling over my favorite chair. Too bad this fucker doesn’t break like the last one.

I rush to the whelp’s side and grab his arms and try to force them down by his side so he doesn’t hurt himself and stop the bed from shifting. It’s like fighting a wild, bucking horse- this kid has really been working out and he is giving me a run for the money. I finally get him somewhat still and try to wake him with some brisk shaking and yelling. “Oi, brat, what the hell! Wake up, it’s just a stupid, bad dream!”

The screaming and yelling got less frequent, but the few outbursts were still loud enough to burst my eardrums now that I was so close and restraining the teen’s arms. As always, this kid sleeps through anything, so if I want to save my hearing, I have no choice than to quiet him with my lips again. (At least that’s what I tell myself)

I have to admit that this approach is very effective, as the screaming stops immediately as our lips touch. He tastes of warm honey and I can’t seem to get enough of it. That doesn’t appear to be a problem, as I can feel him reciprocating, his tongue now begging for entrance to my mouth. Permission that I seem to freely give as I comply and match his movements, stroke for stroke in his warm, wet mouth. There is barely any room left between our lips, but somehow, tiny moans escape from both of us. I can feel him wrap his arms around me tightly and pull me closer to him, the heat from his body almost scalding me. I close my eyes and just revel in his warmth. I feel myself drowning in sensation, giving in to my selfish desires for intimacy and pleasure along with the desire to comfort the brat this way. At that moment, I refused to think about anything else but what I had right here, right now. Too bad, the moment didn’t last, as I hear the kid utter my name somehow in between kisses, “Levi.” I focus back on Jaeger’s face and I suddenly see bright green. “Shit,” I yell as yank myself backwards, our lips losing contact but his arms encircling my waist lock tight and keep me close. I can’t seem to look away from those eyes. So mesmerizing with so many emotions and here I am caught with my hands in the cookie jar. How am I going to explain this? 

“Corporal, I knew it was you, but I just had to be sure. Hanji thought this would be the best way to prove my suspicions.”   
I am still too stunned to say anything and unwilling and powerless to move at this point. Just one thought has popped into my mind at that moment.

Hanji!!!! I am going to kill you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got caught in the act...poor Levi. Updates won't be as frequent from here on in but the chapters should be a little longer and more emotional. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this so far.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He continued to hold me tightly and words escaped me. There is no way I can explain this without admitting to him something I am unwilling to acknowledge to myself. 

The brat is the first one to shatter the silence and attempt to slice through the palpable tension in the room.

“Heichou, please don’t be angry with Hanji,” he pleads with those big, green, puppy-dog eyes. “ I went to her for advice since I wasn’t sure what to think. I was having these awful nightmares every night but one day, I could feel someone trying to comfort me. I could have sworn I heard your voice and I smelled that soap you always use- I should know it well. I’ve washed with it more times than I care think about when cleaning your office to your standards. I just couldn’t believe that it could be real and not a dream. After all, you were the one who kicked the living shit out of me at the trial. You punished me almost every day in the beginning, so I figured you loathed me, like so many others. But then when training started to pay off and we worked in sync, I saw another side of you- one that could be the person I sensed in my dreams. Then that one night, I swore I could feel you kissing away my pain and I just had to know if this whole thing was real or if I was just delusional- grasping for something I desired more than anything in the world, but may or may not exist outside of my dreams. I didn’t confide in Hanji with who I thought it was- I’m sure she would think I had been beaten about the head a few too many times. But she gave me this suggestion so I could finally get confirmation.”

He looks at me with such fiery intensity and inquisitiveness; I know he is looking for my answer. I am still punch drunk from his lips and he is still holding onto my waist, which makes it nearly impossible for coherent thoughts. I know I have to say something, lame as it will be.

“Wow kid, that was quite a lot to digest all at once. A little diarrhea of the mouth it seems. As for Hanji, I will deal with her and her interfering ways. Why didn’t you just ask me if you had your suspicions?” I try to play it cool even though I can still feel every part of me is still on fire.

“Probably for the same reasons you didn’t want me to know either,” he replied.

Touché. The brat never fails to impress me with his tenacity and blunt honesty. That blaze never leaving those eyes. I’m still too guarded and don’t know what to say. How can I reply when I am not even certain of myself? I figure it’s best to let Jaeger continue on and I will try to come up with something along the way. My newfound lack of confidence was unsettling me to the core, knowing he is seeing through me too much already. When the hell did he mature so dramatically from the angry kid lashing out without any thought?

We never lose eye contact and he takes my silence as a cue to continue. “I already know that there are a ton of reasons against this that have probably gone through your head. I know this is true since I’ve also been thinking about it for over three months now and I have played through every objection in my head a myriad of times. First, I know I am some sort of monster, but I am confident I have that under control now. I’m still not sure what you would see in me but I promise to do whatever it takes to prove myself worthy of you. Secondly, you are my Superior Officer. Third, I am half your age and male.”

“Tch,” I had to huff at that one. He barely raises an eyebrow and continues.

“I’ve experienced the pain of losing someone precious to me and it sucks. I know you have too. I never want to have to go through that again, it’s unavoidable but worthwhile. Either one of us could get killed at any time. Hell, you are supposed to kill me if I ever get out of hand. I accept that. I tried to come up with some valid, logical reason to just forget all of this but I just couldn’t. Not when I can sense you feel the same.”

I can feel his eyes boring holes right through me. I shiver slightly at the accusation. He is right, he’s already thrown out most of the excuses I would have used just like they were trivial nothings. I look deeper into those emerald eyes and he sees nothing but my stormy grey. As I gaze deeper, I can actually see a future reflected there and it scares the hell out of me. To have someone to share everything with, in this world full of nothingness and horror, was extremely tempting and he was offering it freely. Was I willing to give up a part of myself to him? Could I bare my heart and soul to this brat, knowing he could easily destroy me? Would he risk the same, knowing that I could also take him down in one slice or worse, a rejection?

When I continued to remain silent for fear of gushing out some cliché love confession or lie and argue that I felt nothing for the brat, he pulled me closer to him again. He brought his lips to my ear and whispered, “I don’t expect an answer right now, Heichou, but please know that my feelings are true. I’ll wait for your reply as long as it takes.”

I can feel a slight tremor dance down my spine into every part of my body. A heated blush creeps over my face. I am on a dangerous precipice of losing all sense of reason and I need to break the contact before there is no turning back. “Cheeky brat! Get some sleep!” I yell, not knowing what else to do. I'm not even able to speak more that those few words, I am that flustered. I wrench myself away with the last ounce of willpower I still have. I need to go back to the desk and appear as if I am desperately need to get some work done so I can get through the rest of the night. This teen has totally undone me. When the fuck had the tables turned so much? And I still had quite a few hours until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this one wasn't as long as I planned but just not sure how I like this transition point. I am trying my best. Hoping I did not butcher it too bad with too many feels. I just love a slightly aggressive Eren and a speechless Levi.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Those last few hours seemed to last a lifetime. The brat finally fell asleep about 30 minutes after I retreated back to the desk, shaken and stirred. I swear I saw a smug smirk on his face as he drifted off to dreamland. I don’t know what I thought I was going to accomplish with the paperwork in front of me. If I couldn’t concentrate before, I sure as fuck didn’t have a chance in hell of getting any work done now after the kid caught me in the act. I still can’t believe this shit-betrayed by Hanji and my own, stupid soap. But no, I couldn’t blame it all on that. I knew the risks and I took a chance, based on my own selfish needs to be near the brat.  
Now, he will be expecting my answer and I wasn’t even remotely prepared to come up with one. Part of me just wants to surrender but my old self just keeps screaming to stop and walk away-the stakes are just too great.

The morning guard was blessedly punctual this morning and I briskly head back to my room, a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and feelings going through my head. All I can think about is the green-eyed teen I just left shackled to his bed when the guard came in. Part of me wanted to get the hell out of there tout suite but the other part had to be torn away from the room. 

At least today’s training regimen isn’t nearly as rigorous as yesterday; I don’t think I could handle that piled upon the inevitable tension that was sure to rear its ugly head when the brat and I came face to face again after breakfast. 

Fortunately, the teenager acted like nothing had happened. True to his word, Jaeger appeared to be content with patiently waiting for my answer. This guy just keeps shocking me with his unexpectedness. He still shows his tenacity and resolve but without lashing out with his anger. I am quite impressed by how much he has matured in just a few months. You could even see it in his face and body which were now devoid of any baby fat, replaced by strong brow and jaw lines and sturdy muscles. Muscles that rippled in just the right way when he was training…Whoa- got to get myself back in check, I found that my thoughts were drifting a little too far south. Time to get back to my regimen. 

It was almost dinner time before I checked the time again. I had totally engrossed myself in training that I had lost track of the daylight. Almost everyone else had gone inside as the sun started its blazing descent for the evening. The chill in the air got a little crisper and I decided to head back as well, despite knowing that I would soon have to deal with my thoughts and even worse, my feelings, without any distractions.

As I’m heading towards the dining hall, the alarm bell suddenly sounds, startling me from my introspective mood. “What the hell could that be?” I ask myself as I race to Erwin’s office to get a briefing and my instructions.

Erwin and Hanji are already there in his office and I can hear the sounds of racing footsteps of the others heading here as well. Erwin doesn’t seem to want to waste any time for everyone to gather and just gives a briefing to the leaders that were already there. 

“Seems that someone has unleashed the three titans that Hanji has been keeping in the well for experimental purposes. Two of them are relatively harmless being smaller in class and very slow. However, one of them is an Aberrant and is wreaking havoc out by the fields where our crops are growing by the forest’s edge. Since Hanji has already gotten most of her research done, we can just take them down and not worry about recapturing them. Hanji, you take your squad out and do some reconnaissance to locate them, sending up your flare so Levi and his squad can rush in and take them down. Try to separate them if possible and get that Aberrant out of the way first.”

“Yes, sir,” we all respond and jump into action.

I scramble my team and give them a quick rundown of the plan as we head towards to stables to get our horses. It should be a relatively simple enough mission, as long as we can get the one oddball Titan by itself and eliminate it first. It would certainly provide some distraction.

Hanji’s squad raced ahead and it didn’t take long before we saw the first flare. It was one of the smaller ones so I dispatched Jean and Armin to take care of that one with Connie providing a back up. No sooner had those three broken off from the rest of us, we saw the second flare. The other small one. Damn. Where the hell was the Aberrant? I send off Sasha and Christa to handle that one and Connie was already heading back since Jean and Armin were almost done with theirs. Armin was yelling at it as a distraction while Jean snuck up from behind to make the kill. 

Eren, Mikasa and I would be taking down the difficult one if we could find it. The sun was just about to fully set, and the moon had not yet risen, so visibility was not the best. 

Seemed Sasha and Christa were about to make their kill just as Connie started to head back rejoin us. I suddenly see a shadow moving off to my left, near the trees and quickly jump off my horse and switch to the 3D gear. I shout out the order for my team to do the same as we head towards the area where the movement was.  
Eren and Mikasa caught sight of the thing first and went to distract it so I could come down on it from behind and above. The thing was still pretty fast despite the lack of sunlight since it had just gone down. I was almost in position and concentrating on diving in for the fatal blow. For some reason, Connie tried to get into position behind me and somehow got his cables tangled up in mine. Jerking me backwards, my back slams into a tree with a jolt and crack. I’m able to break loose and land roughly on a branch, but Connie goes flying towards the Titan. Eren is there and snatches him before the large hand of the beast can grab him. With lightning speed the Aberrant comes around with his other hand and barely misses Jaeger head on. I don’t even have time to yell for him to look out. The beast does manage to hit one of his cables. He drops Connie who safely jumps down to the ground but he himself hits the ground hard in a tumble. That fast, the Titan is already reaching down and trying to grab him. I scream, “Eren, move!” I then order Mikasa to try to take the shot at the Titan’s nape since I know I can’t make it over there in time, feeling a few of my ribs may have broken when I slammed into the tree. 

Eren jumps up, but the Titan manages to connect his fist with the teen’s body sending him crashing back down with a thud. I instinctively jump down from the tree, pain be damned. I rush to his side to push him out the way before the thing can attempt to try to grab him again. Jaeger manages to get airborne again and while he and Mikasa aim for its neck, the bastard manages to get a swipe at me, feeling woozy from my injuries and from the stress of knowing that the brat had narrowly missed getting hurt. I can see Mikasa take the shot just as its hand sends me soaring and I hit the tree again, my world going black just as I catch a glimpse of green eyes racing back towards me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of action for a change of pace. I am just finishing up the final details on the next chapter-can't wait for that one- very exciting! Thanks again to everyone who has stuck with this.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I can’t see a thing and all I can feel is excruciating pain everywhere. Eventually, the darkness fades, but the scene playing out before me is worse than the void I just experience. I am still in the crop field near the edge of the forest, lying immobilized on the ground. Everything seems to be going in slow motion, as I see a Titan come up behind Eren as he is reaching out for me. “Levi!” he yells out to me with an outstretched arm. “Eren,” I manage to mutter weakly but I don’t have the power to yell. Things start to get out of focus and all I can see are his eyes and his hand reaching for me…so close. “Levi..Levi…Levi.” Our fingertips touch just as the Titan reaches him, snatches him, and swallows him whole.”Noooooo, Eren! Please don’t leave me,“ I cry out in desperation and suddenly I am jolted awake by the splitting pain in my head and chest.

“Levi, it’s ok, I am here,” I hear a voice tell me as strong, warm arms are suddenly around me. I turn slightly and I have never been so relieved to see that those emerald eyes are still full of vibrant life. “It was just a bad dream,” he says to me and I try to calm my erratic breathing, which is aggravating my sore ribs. 

“Hanji, the Corporal is awake!” I hear him scream across the room. As I hear her footsteps headed towards me, I suddenly remember two things. One is that I am still going to kill Hanji for her meddling and then I am going to kill me one Connie Springer, who was the jerk responsible for most of the pain I am suffering right now.

Bounding over to my bedside, Miss Shitty Glasses gives me a look over. If it weren’t for my current condition, I would have already had her by the neck but as it were, I let her give me a quick exam so I could find out just how bad my injuries were. “Well, Levi, you have a broken rib or two and a slight concussion. Nothing serious- just enough to knock you out for a day and a half, haha. You did have some scratches and a slight fever but Eren here has been taking care of that for you. Speaking of which, it’s time for Levi’s next dose of medicine. Eren, can you go fetch that for me?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the brat yells and quickly heads out of my room.

Hanji turns back to me and I am really in no mood for her nonsense right now. I just want to heal enough so I can kick her ass for getting me into such a predicament. She is obviously oblivious to any wrong doing on her part, as she sits down on the chair next to my bed and I can tell she is about to bore me to tears with her constant chatter.

“You know Levi, Eren never left your side these last two days. He tended and cleaned your wounds, gave you fresh bandages, mopped your brow with a cool cloth and even made sure you got some water so wouldn’t be dehydrated. It was so cute- I wish you could have seen how attentive he was. Oh – and possessive too- I could barely get near you, let alone anyone else. You really are lucky to have someone care that much.”

Part of me wanted to vomit with all the sugary sweetness she was spewing but a part of me was flattered that the brat would do so much to comfort me. I remembered how he had just calmed me after waking up from that nightmare- ironic how the tables had turned and I was on the receiving end for once. It was too easy to get spoiled with that kind of treatment.

“So Jaeger was playing nurse, huh?” I said with a smirk as some naughty thoughts popped into my head. Hanji must have been thinking along the same lines as she had that ridiculous look on her face. 

“He did a great job, Levi. I guess being a doctor’s son helped in that department. Speaking of the Titan-shifter, here he is back with your medicine. I’ll just be going now,” she says as she slinks out of the room, leaving me alone with the teen.

“Do you think you can sit up, Heichou, to take your medicine? If not, I can lift up your head slightly,” he says as he approaches me with a cup of foul-smelling muck. Thank goodness, he also brought some tea and bread with him as well. Hopefully, I can wash the nastiness in that medicine cup down with the tea.

“I’m injured but not an invalid, Jaeger. I think I can handle drinking it down on my own, thank you,” I reply a little too harshly but I am still royally pissed about recent events. I snatch the cup from his hands and sit up slightly, wincing somewhat because it hurts like a motherfucker.

“Corporal, are you ok?” concerned green-eyes are instantly in front of me when I show a sign of being in pain. I looked deeply into those eyes and see fire and comfort, the sad part being that I didn’t know which I wanted more.

“I’m fine brat! I’ve been in much worse condition. What about you! Dammit, I told you never to risk yourself for me. You could have been badly hurt yourself when you tried to reach me. You’re too important to take such stupid risks. I….Humanity can’t afford to lose you.” I then attempt to gulp down the medicine in one go, but it sure as hell did not want to go down easy- one of Hanji’s home brews, no doubt. As I am sputtering, the brat hands me the cup of tea as if reading my mind. Too bad he doesn’t let me drink in peace. I place the half-empty cup back on the table.

“Isn’t that being a hypocrite? You’re Humanity’s Strongest! There’s no way we could win this war without you! You were already hurt from that mishap with Connie and you still tried to help me. I can at least regenerate – what if that concussion was serious? What if we lost you? I was worried sick. I couldn’t go on without you.” He throws back at me and I can see tiny pearls of moisture forming in his eyes. My cold exterior starts to melt at that sight. Something inside gets ripped apart knowing her is in pain. “It all must have had some effect on you; that nightmare you had right before you regained consciousness seemed horrific. What was it about?”

“Tch- was just a stupid dream- nothing to get all riled up about. Probably just a result of Hanji’s medicine and the damage to my head. I dreamed you were killed and I was powerless to stop it. Then I woke up- you were ok, everything’s ok, no big deal. Just a nightmare.” I figured my making light of the situation would assuage his concerns but he still had a few tears escaping his eyes and landing on the bed below him. I knew I was fighting a losing battle. Shit, I knew I had already lost. 

“Corporal, don’t worry at all about me. Just get better soon, please,” he takes my hand in his and pleads with me. There is another ache in my chest besides the broken ribs and I can’t bear to see the despair in his eyes.

“Brat, if you think this will keep me down for long, you are sadly mistaken. I’ll be back to normal and punishing your cheekiness in no time.”

“I’m sure you will, sir! You know how I feel about you, so of course I worry. I realize I said I would be patient and wait for you tell me how you feel but all of this just made me anxious. What if you never get the chance?”

Such an insolent whelp. He puts on his brave face and rushes in heart first. It goes against my very nature but I can do it too, following his lead. I have no choice but to surrender. I couldn’t deny it any longer; I was hopelessly lost, in love with the young man in front of me.

I grab his shirt and I quickly and roughly pull him down to my level. “You want my answer, Eren? Here it is.” I confess all my feelings with a deep, strong, passionate kiss. I make sure there is no room for misunderstanding my feelings and intentions. He returns the action in full, acknowledging and accepting my terms. 

I loosen my grip on his shirt and he settles down next to me on the bed, a blinding smile on his face, spooning up behind me. I soon find myself awash in his warmth and we both drift off to some well- needed sleep, the comfort being consciously two-sided for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finally, an answer and a little bit of fluff. Sorry if I worried anyone with the last chapter; the road to love is sometimes rocky. Thanks so much to everyone for the kudos and comments. They are all very appreciated and keep me motivated to continue as quickly as I can with this story.


	13. Chapter 13

Before I knew it, the first rays of the day’s sunshine blaze through the window and stir me from sleep. The brat is still deeply slumbering beside me; in all fairness he was up tending to me nonstop for almost two days so I know he must have been exhausted. I look over towards the window and see that Hanji left some more of her tasty medicine on my bedside table. I tried my best to drink it quickly and quietly, so as not to disturb the figure still snuggled up next to me and still wearing the slight grin he had right before he had drifted off. Sadly, this shit Hanji calls medicine is enough to melt paint and I cough slightly as it goes down, disturbing Jaeger. His eyes flutter open slightly, “Mmm, good morning Heichou.”

“Morning, brat.” 

“How are you feeling? Is the pain still really bad? You don’t feel feverish this morning,” he says as he brushes the hair on my brow aside to check my temperature.

“Much better. See I told you I’ll be back up and whipping all of you whelps back into shape in no time. Enjoy the break while you can.”

He gets up and stretches, his shirt riding up just slightly to show off the muscular, tan midriff below and I can’t help but be mesmerized by that for some reason. Of course, must be that medicine Hanji is giving me. “I’ll go get some breakfast for us,” he says and heads out the door depriving me of the view I was just admiring. 

Hanji must have been in the hall, as I hear her and Jaeger talking for a few minutes before her annoying self bounces into the room.

“Levi! How are you feeling this morning?” she asks as she slaps me on the back. 

“Ouch, motherfucker! I was feeling better before you wailed on me! Don’t you know better than to be rough with an injured person?” I rage at her. In return, she is as unfazed as ever and goes about examining my cuts and bruises. How can one woman be so infuriating and oblivious?

“Hmmm, seems you are healing up nicely. Much faster than expected. Very good. So what happened last night? Eren was practically floating on cloud nine when he left the room. His smile could have lit up the entire dungeon at midnight. Come to think of it, you looked pretty content yourself when I walked in- that’s a rare sight to behold indeed. Did you do the deed? Oh wait, you're still pretty messed up, not quite up for that sort of thing, right?”

“It’s none of your concern woman, and I don’t want you bugging me or Jaeger about it,” I reply with as much authority as I can muster. Any more of her meddling and I just might end up dead next time.

“Oh Levi, you are no fun. But that’s ok, I wouldn’t ask you to kiss and tell any way. I’ll just have to spy on you two again when you are least expecting it,” she laughs but I am not convinced she is not totally serious. “I’m just glad you two stubborn idiots finally came to your senses. No need to thank me, of course.”

“Ha! You’re lucky I haven’t already skinned you alive for your impertinence, shitty glasses. I just want to make sure I am fully healed first.”

“Don’t be like that Levi, I couldn’t have you pouting around any longer. If you had just listened to me in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such desperate measures.”

“Tch! As if any sane person would take advice from you.” I teased Hanji but sadly she knew me too well to know there was no malice behind my words- we just had that odd kind of relationship.

“Hanji, there is one thing you can do for me for the next few days while I finish resting up.”

“Hmmm, what is that, Corporal? Want me to conduct some experiments on the hormone levels of two sexually frustrated men??”

“Fuck no Hanji- I told you that my love life is now forever off limits to you. But I do need you to make sure that the Connie brat cleans every bathroom in this castle every day until I get back into training. Then of course, once I can get back to the normal routine, I will be riding his ass every day on proper maneuver gear usage until he drops.”

“It was just an accident,” Hanji looks at me as if I am some sort of demon and how could I be so harsh.

“Don’t give me that shit, woman. He’s damn lucky nobody was killed. Got me knocked out for a few days and what if something had happened to Eren? He’s too important to risk because some moron doesn’t know how to use his gear properly.”

“Awww, who knew that Levi in love would be so possessive and protective? So cute!!!!!” This woman’s teasing just never ends and I give her a nice slap to the back of her head.

“Ow! Seems you truly are healing pretty quick- you got plenty of strength back already,” she laughs. “Eren better watch out once you are all healed up.” I tried to give her another slap but she expects it this time and has already jumped back a few feet.

At that moment, the door to my room opens back up, Jaeger carrying in a tray with breakfast. The smell of eggs and toast with honey is cloying as I realized I was starving, not having any solid food for more than two days. 

He places the tray by my bedside and hands me a cup of tea. The warm drink is just how I like it as I sip it slowly. 

“So I heard Hanji mention my name, Corporal; so what is it that I need to watch out for when you heal?” the brat innocently asks and all I can do is spew the tea I had in my mouth all over the bed.

Hanji just stands there and laughs hysterically as the teen removes the tea-sprayed blanket from the bed, a bewildered look on his face.

After a few moments, she pats the kid on the back and turns to leave the room. “You’ll find out soon enough, Eren.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Heichou is getting better. Soon we can move this along into more fun stuff. Sorry for the long wait for the update- it was a crazy week. Hope everyone enjoys this Chapter. Hoping to have the next one out quicker. Thanks so much for all of the kind words and Kudos- I appreciate all of them!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next few days passed by- some moments being the most tedious I’ve experienced recently and some others being the most content I had ever been. The pain in my ribs was lessening quickly and I no longer had any traces of the dull throb in my head. If it hadn’t been for Eren and his overly protective self to make sure I was fit enough to get out of bed, I would have already been back to duty- even if just reduced in intensity. I can’t say I didn’t relish the fact that I was being pampered by one sexy, green-eyed nurse but I hated the fact that being bedridden, I had no excuses for not doing all that dreaded paperwork. I bit the bullet and got almost all of it caught up in two days time. Of course, I had some wonderful incentive, as this freed up most of my afternoons to cuddle with Eren. I would swear that the warmth he exuded also contained some sort of healing factor, as I have never felt broken bones mend as quickly. Either that or I was just too damn blissful that I was numbed to their painful effects.

Jaeger still made sure to complete his daily training each day, but never failed to be there in the afternoons and evenings, sharing dinner and light conversation. I was thrilled to hear that the Connie kid was miserable but that the bathrooms hadn’t been so clean in a long time. The teen also made sure to provide any updates on our final battle plans against the Titans. Since Hanji has been working around the clock to get everything prepared, she didn’t have many opportunities to visit, which I can honestly say I was grateful for. I did not need any more glaringly, embarrassing garbage flowing from her big mouth. I just wanted to relish the peaceful, stolen moments of silence that I got to enjoy with Eren while I could. It would be back to work as normal in another day and from that point on, everyone’s energy will be focused on the final mission plans. 

We were still trying to go over every possible scenario that might arise so any and all contingencies would be hashed out before the plan was actually set in motion. Obviously, anything could happen, but the more possibilities we were prepared for, all the better to minimize casualties. At this point, we were all unwilling and unable to suffer more loss. Jaeger and I had tried to think of every eventuality before I was back to regular duty the next day and I think he and Armin had written enough material to fill up an entire notebook. Now it was just up to the higher ups to approve their plans and then for everyone to put those strategies into action. It still felt so surreal that there was a light at the end of this tunnel and humanity may soon be rid of the Titans for good. Maybe for me, it was even more bizarre since that light was now twice as bright, having both freedom and the brat waiting for me at the end of it.

After dinner that evening, Eren had just returned to my room after bringing the dishes back to the kitchen. He settled down on the bed next to me on the spot he had occupied for the last few evenings. Strange how it had become “his” spot so quickly and how tomorrow, we’d be back to our original positions. He would return to his cell with me revising my role as guard instead of vice versa. 

He rouses me from my thoughts, “So Corporal, are you sure you are feeling healed enough to get back to limited duty tomorrow.” I can see a small portion of his eyes pleading with me to say that I wasn’t ready and I still needed him by me every night.

“Tch. Of course I am ready. If I stay another day cooped up in this room in bed, I will go crazy. I’m sick of paperwork and I am just itching to get back out and train to get all of my strength back. “

I see him looking slightly downtrodden as his looks down slightly. I place my finger on his chin and lift his head back up slightly to look at him eye to eye. “You know I will still be with you every night- it will just be in your room instead of mine.” He seems to brighten up a little at this but I can sense he is still apprehensive about something.

“I’m happy to know that we’ll still be able to spend evenings together but I don’t feel right with you having to be down in that dungeon on my hard, lumpy bed, when you could be resting more comfortably up here. And I will still be all chained up. What if you need something, I would be powerless to help you.”

I am still not used to anyone actually caring about me that much and experiencing his generous and selfless nature towards me is very foreign. I instinctively reach around his waist and draw him close, not severing eye contact and I assure him that I will be fine. “I’ll be sure to come down early tomorrow and I’ll make sure that I have the spare, shackle key with me so I can unlock the chains as soon as he is gone.”

A smile gently graces his mouth at my words and I can’t resist those lips. I lean in and kiss him gently but firmly, reassuring him that all will be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shorter chapter but as a consolation I will have the next one out soon. And we get a little bit of fluff. Yay for fluff! Thanks again to all the lovely readers out there!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Back to training. Back to my normal schedule. But everything now seems slightly different. Like I was going through the motions of life but was never truly alive. I’m not one to be all mushy with sentimentality but I had to admit that the world seemed just a little bit brighter knowing that I had someone to protect and care for and who actually loved my sarcastic, snarky ass back.

That and I was in a fucking fantastic mood watching Connie Springer run laps for the last 2 hours. So glad that being in love didn’t dull my sadistic senses. It felt so good to be out of my room and able to move around again. I knew I had to take it easy with the training but I didn’t want to backslide due to all the hard work I had done before the little Titan incident. My ribs were still tender but I could still make sure my legs and arms got at least a moderate workout today. 

The kid also had to make up for lost time as well, since he spent the last three or four days glued to my side. While it was amazing for me to be pampered so, the only exercise he got was running to fetch my medicine and meals. I took my cold, grey eyes off the Springer kid for a moment to glance over at Jaeger to see how he was coming along. Looks like he didn’t miss a beat and was back working double-time, making short work of the Titan dummies at lightning speed. Damn him and his stupid healing abilities. I have to admit that I do envy him that as I wince in pain during my regimen. He sees me looking at him, all hot and sweaty- muscles tight and skin all sun- kissed. He flashes a quick smile my way before taking off to do some maneuver practice on horseback. I felt a sudden flash of heat from deep inside, rise up and ending up settling on my cheeks. Partly from the brat’s blinding smile and partly from my own naughty thoughts of him riding me instead of that horse. Shit, I couldn’t wait to be fully healed.

Thank goodness, temptation rode off out of my line of sight for a short time and I was able to compose myself enough to gather the Springer kid up and go back into the castle to inspect all of the bathrooms. He had done a decent enough job; however, I had to make up for a few days of lost opportunities. I made him scrub all of the toilets one more time, just for good measure. The poor kid was so exhausted after that, I don't think he didn’t even make it to dinner that night. I'm pretty sure that Blouse brat snuck some food out to him. Then again, she attempts to sneak food out at any and all opportunities. He probably all but crawled back to his bunk and fell immediately into a deep sleep. It was amazing what that did to improve my morale. 

Dinnertime was a welcome distraction. My stomach had greatly missed solid food and my body painstakingly missed a certain, green-eyed brat close to me all day. Can you even get addicted to a brat? I guess my sudden withdrawal symptoms were positive testament that yes, this is possible and yes, I was in deep.

Speaking of the devil (or Titan in this case), he was already seated with his friends, enjoying his meal when I sat down at a table close by where I had a nice view. I could still fully use the excuse that I had to keep a constant eye on him as part of my daily responsibilities. No one else had to know that I was more than happy to endure this task, as I had a hard time keeping my eyes off of him. I tried to act as casual as normal, but Jaeger made that difficult at least once or twice when he returned my gaze with those green eyes of his. If I had been combustible, I would have burst into flames each time our gazes locked. Thank goodness he was keeping that under control and only looked my way a few times, obviously doing a good job of being inconspicuous. As far as I knew, only Hanji and Erwin knew about our status change in relationship, so to maintain the plutonic façade, we would both need to be cognizant of others around us and try to avoid anything risqué in public.   
The brat and his friends finished their meals first and went off on towards their bunks, back to the accustomed routine the teens had. I’m sure Jaeger had missed spending time with them since I had monopolized his time for the most part for the last few days. I realized I need to hurry up as well so I could finish up the most critical paperwork for the day so I could make it down to the dungeon a little earlier as I promised.

I plowed through the monotonous gear inspection paperwork as quickly as possible and before I knew it, the time to go downstairs was upon me.

The guard was a little surprised to see that I was early and I assured him I just left myself a lot of extra time to arrive downstairs since I was still healing from my injuries. He had no reason to not believe me, but he gave me an odd look any way. Regardless, he left me in solitude with the brat who was wide awake in bed, pretending to read a book. I waited a few moments to make sure the guard was well out of earshot and grabbed the spare shackle key my pocket. I had originally thought I would just ask the guard to leave his, but then thought better of that in case he started asking questions. Questions that I did not want to waste precious time answering. I walked over to the bed and freed Jaeger from his restraints. 

I looked down at the brat, those green eyes all aglow with all those passions burning inside. Here we were back in this room, just as we had been for almost four months, but it felt so different now. Now that I had committed to and fully accepted this person in front of me. I moved the shackles off to the side so I could grab them quickly in the morning before the morning guard came on duty. It made my heart hurt to know that so many still regarded him as nothing more than a monster. He had already done so much for humanity- helping seal the breaches in the walls, gaining control and precision in fighting titans and undergoing countless hours of experimentation and suffering so a permanent solution could be found. And he did all of this with a positive determination, never complaining once. Despite being so cooperative, I knew there were still many who would see him killed without hesitation. Greedy, narrow-minded bastards who had never seen a day of true battle. Jaeger fought for freedom for all humanity every day; too bad there were many who didn’t deserve it or him.

I just needed to hold him in my arms, the want was overwhelming. To comfort him as well as being comforted. He must have sensed my intentions, as he pulled the blanket back and made sure to make room for me to slide in next to him. I removed my boots as quickly as possible and got into the lumpy bed. No where near as comfortable as my bed; however, was still a million times better than the dreaded chair.

He gently wrapped himself around me as I did the same, careful not to irritate my ribs. The pain was down to just a dull throb. “Does it still hurt badly?” he asked.

I looked at his concerned face and shook my head. “No, amazingly, I just have some slight discomfort. I don’t quite understand it. I have had a broken bone or two before and have never healed this quickly. I swear either Hanji came up with some new, secret ingredient for that medicine of hers or that warmth you give off when I’m next to you has some sort of healing factor to it.”

“I hope it’s me.” He responded with a smile on his face. 

I never did get used to how his happy face could light up a room, even one as dank and gloomy as this dungeon. All I could do was pull him closer and place my lips on that grin of his. We laid there positioning gentle kisses along our necks and face until sleep finally claimed us. It had been a few days since I had much activity, so today’s return to training had drained me. The warmth all around me was so soothing, enveloping me in all its comfort, I couldn’t keep my eyes open a moment longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little snarkiness and a little bit of lust and fluff. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks again for reading! You make my day with your kudos and comments!


	16. Chapter 16

No morning light dared to show its face in this gloomy place but luckily, I was able to stir myself from a wonderfully content slumber in plenty of time before the morning guard came in. I still didn’t quite understand why he was needed to release Eren and escort him to breakfast after I left. I guess I could have being doing that myself all this time but being on such a tight schedule I usually just went back to my room for tea and to clean up before training. I would have to speak to Erwin to see if we could just eliminate the evening and morning guards since their purpose was very limited and unnecessary. Not to mention that it posed a risk of getting caught with Eren being out of his restraints. 

I got out of the bed as gently as possible so as not to disturb the still sleeping teen and was actually able to stretch without any pain. Strange but hey, I am not complaining in the least bit. I reach for the shackles so I can place them back on Jaeger’s wrists; their steely, cold hardness pains me to attach them. I know I have to in order to keep up the proper appearance but I do so with a heavy heart. The teen fought for everyone’s freedom but it was one thing he didn’t have even the slightest bit of. 

I guess I didn’t warm them up enough or maybe the slight clank they made was loud enough to rouse the kid. His eyes fluttered open slightly and he turned to me.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” I whisper, just in case he may be able to drift back off.

“It’s ok. It’s almost time to get up anyway and I’d much rather be woken up by you then that guard. There’s just something weird about him- he looks at me strangely every time he comes in to place or remove the shackles. Gives me the creeps.” 

“ I promise I’ll talk to Erwin tonight about seeing if he’ll let me take that duty over so the extra guard won’t need to come in anymore,” I reassure the brat and give him a quick morning kiss as he is presenting me this irresistible come hither look, with his hair all disheveled and eyes brighter than the morning sun.

I was feeling much better and knew if I let the kiss linger too long, I couldn’t be responsible for my actions. He had already given me so much-happiness, comfort, purpose…but I still found myself wanting so much more. The last few days spent with him have just added fuel to my already overwhelming desire to consume him body and soul. I knew if I let the fire burn too long this morning, no cold shower would extinguish the heady need. 

I walk over to the desk and pull my boots back on and slide into my jacket. All ready and proper for when the morning guard arrives- some guy named Gisel. I had never personally trained him- he was a newer addition of Hanji’s squad but I had to admit that he was indeed dripping with some sort of negative vibe when he walked into the room. As Eren had described, he gave the kid some weird looks and was muttering something unintelligible under his breath as he came through the dungeon door. It was indeed “creepy.” I wondered why I hadn’t noticed it before, except for the fact that I was in full blown denial of my feelings and desires for my green-eyed charge and was always in a hurry to get away from the cell in a futile attempt to suppress those foreign concepts. 

Gisel trudges over to the bed, pulling the shackle key out of his pocket and forcefully grabs one of Jaeger’s arms. “Time to get up you filthy freak,” I hear him yell at Eren as he yanks and twists his wrists forcibly to remove the cuffs.

I don’t even consciously remember doing it, but I was immediately across the room and grabbing Gisel’s wrist, mimicking the harsh treatment he had just inflicted on Eren. “How dare you treat him so roughly- it’s not like he is some hardened criminal. He is only being restrained of his own free will just to keep the bureaucracy sedated- he has never once shown any signs in almost 4 months of being any threat. Do you understand, you heathen piece of shit?”

“He is nothing more than a monster, sir and I guess maybe he has you brainwashed or something. Are you going soft in your old age, Corporal?”

“Gisel, who the fuck do you think you are, speaking to your senior officer like that? You are the monster here, nothing more than an ignorant shit stain. Get the hell of out here- I will be making sure Commander Smith hears of this and you can be relieved of this duty immediately if you loathe it so,” I sneer and have to hold back with all my will not to beat the daylights out of this asshole.

“So you’ve gone soft and you’re now defending this piece of trash- I never thought I would see the day, Corporal. Maybe it’s time for you to retire,” he then pushes past me, jabbing me in the side confrontationally. Before I can even come back with a retort of my own, the kid comes to the defense, jumping up and standing at the ready.

“Hey, don’t you dare fucking touch him, you jerk!” the room echoes with Jaeger’s voice. That angry fire flashed and flared in his eyes. “You don’t even deserve to lick his boots. He is still your superior and has done more for humanity in one day then you’ll ever do in your worthless career.”

“What’s that, you freak? What if I do touch him again- what are you gonna do about it? Attack me? I would love to see it so we can strike you down as the traitor parasite you are.” Gisel looked like he was enjoying this too much. “I’m out of here, the two of you disgust me.” 

“Fucking jerk.” That was the final straw- the vermin needed to get out of my sight now. I grab him by his shirt and unceremoniously throw him out the door, slamming him to the ground and closing the door to the room.

I turn back to Eren, who has now flopped back down in the bed, looking at me wide-eyed and disbelieving at what had just transpired. I walk over towards him and sit next to him on the bed and wrap my arms around him. “Eren, I am so sorry. I had no idea that guy was like that or I never would have allowed him to come near you. How long has that kind of behavior been going on?”

We look each other in the eye and I can see the pain and anger still. “It’s always been like that with him- sometimes not as rough and other times much worse. The physical stuff doesn’t bother me since my training helped me to deal with pain and fatigue but the taunting was what used to get to me. How he and so many see me as just a stupid, unpredictable Titan. I just had to sit here and take his bullshit.”

“You should have told me about it sooner- I would never have let that go on for so long. You don’t deserve that kind of treatment. I will make sure the Commander reassigns that piece of crap and if he ever even looks at you strangely again, I will beat the ever-loving piss out of him.”

“It’s ok, Corporal. Hopefully, he got your message loud and clear. Thank you for standing up for me.”

“Eren, you don’t deserve to be treated like that. I’m not about to stand by and let some asswipe abuse you.”

“And you didn't do anything to warrant being spoken to like that either. No one will disrespect you while I’m around Heichou. I love you too much.”

“Tch. Silly brat. He’s not even worth giving a second thought over.”

I feel the embrace we are sharing get slightly tighter and he rests his head on my shoulders for a few moments. I tilt his head back up so I can get another look into those beautiful orbs of his before we have to go about our daily routines. The anger is gone, replaced with the serenity that I have come to get lost in. I place another quick kiss on his sweet, soft mouth before getting up again from the bed so I have his taste on my lips to help me get through the day.

“Let’s finish getting ready and head up for breakfast.”

“Sounds good, Corporal. I am starving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little confrontation but some nice fluff to make it all better. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks to all my readers who have come this far.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After my breakfast of lumpy oatmeal and semi-burnt toast, I was at least able to wash it down with a decent cup of tea. I guess that’s why I rarely bothered to eat breakfast but since I had to escort Jaeger to the mess hall anyway, I figured I might as well have something. Not the best idea I’ve ever had but at least I could spend a few more moments with the brat before he went off with his group for daily exercises.

I headed back to my room to bathe and to get ready for my tasks for the day. There was a note under my door that stated that there was a meeting the next day to finalize the plans for the execution of “The Plan.” Wow, the higher ups weren’t wasting any time. I’m glad I have almost fully recovered already, although I still can’t totally understand how it happened so rapidly. 

I would love to question Hanji about my hypothesis about Eren’s healing factor lessening my recovery time. It’s pretty farfetched to think that by him just keeping me warm and close helped my injuries mend faster but I just didn’t know what else to think. I’ve never healed that quickly before. Sadly Hanji is still busy and part of me is afraid she’ll just put the kid through a ton of new experiments. I couldn’t make him go through that again. I can still hear those screams of pain from when Hanji took those samples from his spine and they haunt me, knowing he had to experience that to help everyone. Maybe I can casually bring it up to her after the meeting tomorrow. For now, I need to prepare for the day.

I step into the tub to get a quick bath, and I can’t get that green-eyed teen out of my mind. He was a selfless person, willing to give anything for the cause. I guess that’s why my thoughts suddenly turned back to that incident with Gisel this morning. To realize that Jaeger was being tormented by that jerk all this time and he never once complained. I felt like I had let him down- I was supposed to protect him, now for more reasons than one. Then on top of it, he came to my defense after just a few stupid, ignorant remarks that I couldn’t have cared less about. To see that fire in his eyes again, it’s always a mesmerizing sight. It draws me in and I just want to surrender to it. I start to daydream about him as the warm water reminds me of the comfort he provides and all I can think of is what those eyes will look like when I can finally claim him fully as mine, body, heart and soul. 

As much as I want to ravish him as soon as possible now that I’m healed, I realize that it will be best to wait until after the final mission. Now that it seems they want to move forward with it soon, I am hoping we won’t have to wait too much longer. I know the brat probably hasn’t had much experience- hell, even I haven’t had many encounters of the amourous kind. There just never was time and of course, privacy can be a bit tricky too. At least in this castle, I have my own room and bath facilities. 

I suddenly wish that I was sharing this bath with that certain, green-eyed teen. His hair dripping beads of water down his tan and muscled torso and his nipples hard from the slight chill after he gets out of the tub. I can still taste him on my lips from this morning and I just want more. His lips, his body, his cock. I want it all. So much for a quick bath, but this time I learned my lesson. I get out and walk over the shower, still thinking about the many different ways I can enjoy Jaeger’s body. I know there is not much hot water left after filling the tub but I can tell I won’t need long. Just thinking about making the brat mine, feeling him under me, those eyes looking at me, burning me alive while I thrust into my hand. A few moments is all it takes and I reach my peak, Eren’s name on my lips and release onto the wall and down the drain.

I can’t wait for that meeting tomorrow. If there is a vote taken on when they want to start the mission, I will be happily suggesting the very next day. It can’t be over soon enough. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.

The rest of the day goes by as routinely as possible. I find I am almost back to full capacity on all of my maneuvers and strength training and also noticed that the brat has made some improvement as well. Even that Connie guy looks to be in top form- guess he learned his lesson the hard way.

At dinner, I finally get to speak to Erwin. I give him a full report on what had happened that morning when Gisel came in to unlock Eren’s restraints and that it had been an ongoing issue from the beginning.

Erwin didn’t seem too shocked by my revelation. “That’s why we tried to sequester him here so hopefully this sort of thing wouldn’t happen. I gambled that most of our Survey Corps members would accept him for what he is and sadly I lost that bet it seems. Eren understood the risks as did you and I, Levi. I’m sure that’s why he endured that treatment for so long without saying anything. Thank goodness nothing serious came from it- just some brainless soldier trying to assert some twisted sort of authority.”

I couldn’t believe how calm Erwin was after hearing that the kid we were supposed to be protecting all this time had been subject to physical and mental abuse for almost four months now. “Thank goodness nothing did happen. I was ready to slice that jerkoff wide open this morning, Erwin. He deserves to be brought up on charges.” I could feel the anger and disgust towards Gisel bubbling back to the surface thinking about what he had done to Eren. My Eren.

“Levi, I understand how you feel. I’m sorry that the system failed Eren. I will relieve Gisel of the guard duty right away and will see about getting him a transfer. With everyone concentrating on the meeting tomorrow and finalizing our mission, that may take longer than necessary so I’ll be sure that everyone keeps an eye and ear out for any strange activity from Gisel in the meantime.”

“Thank you, Commander,” I reply, glad that I could at least get that asshole away from Jaeger from now on. Plus I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping up appearances with those horrid shackles. Maybe one day when all of this was behind us, we could put them to a much better use but for now I will be glad to see that the brat will have at least one little freedom in his life.

“Good night Erwin. I’ll see you tomorrow at the meeting.” 

“Until then, Levi. Don’t forget to tuck Eren in nice and tight before bedtime.” Erwin smirked as I left the room and headed directly to the dungeon. All this talk about what he had been through had just made me even more protective of him and I needed to see him as soon as possible. I must have almost ran there as I was at the stone door to the dungeon in record time thinking of conflicting thoughts- innocent ones of tucking him in for the night and indecent ones of restraining his arms so I could ravish every inch of his luscious body.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

After a long, self-tortuous night of thinking of nothing but Titans in an effort to control my hedonistic urges, it was finally morning and I had to get both of us prepared for the meeting ahead. It was getting more difficult every day to leave the warm confines of the bed I shared with the brat. Every day that I woke to his smiling face just had me falling further. I even found myself smiling back at him this morning. Not one of my signature smirks or sarcastic grins- a full-on, I am so overjoyed to wake up next to you, smile. It was moments like these that I had to muster up every ounce of patience and self-restraint so I wouldn’t give in to all of the bodily urges I have when I was this close to Eren. I had to hand it to the kid as well. We had an unspoken pact that we would wait until this final mission was behind us and either he was extremely strong in holding back as well or maybe just didn’t know any better in his innocence.

His sweet innocence that I so desperately wanted to corrupt…

I had to seriously clear my head and get fully ready for this gathering; this would be one of the most important congregations of all branches ever. We’d probably only get this one chance to carry out this mission successfully, so everyone had to fully cooperate and give 110% for the common goal. For those in the Military Police and Garrison who hadn’t really seen much action, this endeavor would prove quite taxing so I just hoped everyone could at least pull their own weight.

After Jaeger and I got dressed and had breakfast, we headed out to the main meeting room, which was once one of the big ballrooms of the castle. We were obviously both nervous, but the brat showed it more, especially in his eyes. I tried to reassure him that all would work out fine. “Everyone will see that you have an important role in accomplishing all of this and that they can trust you fully,” I said softly as I took his right hand in mine and gave it a squeeze.

He responded with a firm clutch of his own, “I just wish everyone would trust me as much as my fellow Survey Corps members.”

I didn’t see anyone else around in the hallways, so I stopped and brought his hand up to my lips, kissing it gently, hoping to qualm his nerves somewhat. “It will be fine.” His smile told me that he was feeling better now and we headed off towards the meeting room. I thought I heard a grunt and then footsteps just then but when I looked around I didn’t see anything or anyone. Maybe just someone else on the way to the meeting and they forgot something and had had to head back. 

We entered the meeting room, one of the first few to arrive. Thank goodness Erwin and Hanji were already there so we headed over to where they were seated. I know I couldn’t stand being near the Military Police leaders and figured Eren had even more reason than I to loathe their presence. 

Over the next thirty minutes, the King’s higher ups as well as Garrison and Military Police figure heads slowly arrived. The cacophony became deafening as the ballroom was filled with gossiping soldiers and politicians, echoes all around. I couldn’t wait to get this over with and escape this assembly.

With confidence and authority, Erwin finally called for the cessation of chatter and brought the meeting to order. “Good morning everyone. Please settle down, we have a lot to cover and only a few hours to do so.”

The noise level went from a booming echo to a slight hum. Some arrogant assholes just had to continue with their side conversations, even if just at a whisper. I also couldn’t help but notice quite a few sideways glances and snickers directed at Jaeger. Like he was some kind of circus sideshow freak to be gawked at. It just sickened and angered me but I tried for the brat’s sake not to draw attention to it. I’m sure he was already aware of it but if I refused to acknowledge it, maybe that would make him feel slightly better.

Erwin continued with his greetings and forced formalities to appease all of the pompous jerks present. He then handed control over to Hanji who proceeded to go over the plans in detail.

First, she explained how she had used the results of her experiments with the blood from Eren Jaeger and compared them with the blood she had gotten from Titans they had captured in the past to look for strengths and weaknesses. After many months, she described how she was able to isolate a compound in the Titan makeup that causes the body to dissolve. Much like how the Titans will steam and evaporate once they are killed, she found the key to what causes this reaction to the Titan flesh. So she worked day and night to create a formula that would accelerate the decomposition process and then by exposing living Titans to this compound, we could quickly eliminate them. 

A few of the leaders expressed some doubt in the success of this “formula” but Hanji was able to provide proof of her many different experiments to prove her theories. Eren had captured about 8 smaller Titans for Hanji to test the compound on and had also undergone some tests himself to make sure his human form would not be affected as he would play an integral part in carrying out the mission.

I could tell a few of these assholes were still skeptical but at least it seems like the majority of the leaders were accepting Hanji’s results as successful. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be too much opposition to the plan. It would never work if there was less than 100 percent support.

Hanji, confident that everyone was comfortable with her part of the plan, turned the meeting over to Armin. The young blond was visibly nervous, being in front of so many VIPs but once he started reviewing his strategies, all traces of anxiety were gone. Armin explained that to execute their plans, there would initially be two parts carried out simultaneously. First, he had worked with Hanji and Erwin to create special canisters to contain the formula. These canisters were made to explode on impact and spread out over a wide area. There were 2 types of canisters- one that would be shot from the cannons all along the Wall’s perimeter, aimed at any Titans close by and the other to be carried and shot from the flare guns outside of the walls by members of the Survey Corps. This way, they would have a wider range of land to cover. According to Hanji, as long as just a little bit of the formula made contact with a Titan’s skin, then the breakdown progression would start. Of course, the more liquid a Titan was exposed to the faster the reaction. This process would continue indefinitely until the Survey Corps could confirm that no more Titans existed in the immediate area.

Armin did mention that this could take months or even years since no one knows how many Titans are out there or just how far from the Walls, they existed. All humanity can do is just keep producing the formula and using it every time more are found. The Survey Corps would continue travelling further and further each time, hoping that an end would be realized.

At this point, Hanji joined back in with Armin and explained that we still don’t know how Titans reproduce. So hoping that once humanity has an upper hand and the number of Titans has dropped significantly where more research could be done with less risk, she could investigate this aspect of Titan physiology. They may even be able to finally get access to the secrets in the basement of the Jaeger home. No sense in destroying most of them for the population to boom again if they can reproduce in some oddly unexpected, prolific way. Her face lit up and she seemed to be in another world as she explained how marvelous it would be if they discovered some cave somewhere full of Titan eggs or some other such crazy hypothesis. 

Erwin decided it was time to resume control before Hanji scared off anyone with her eccentricities by going over the different teams that would be responsible for certain tasks. The Garrison and Military Police teams would be stationed all along the Walls, manning the cannons and supplying canisters from many points of storage. Since Hanji had already been working on mass producing the formula for a few months, there was already a huge supply of canisters ready and waiting for them to be positioned throughout the cities and more were being created every day. 

The Survey Corps was already in the process of loading up carts and modifying the gear to carry plenty of canisters on each person as well as guns to shoot them. There were already checkpoints set up and ready to go, each one a little further out from the last one. There were to be 4 teams from the Survey Corps spread out over each direction so the largest surface area could be covered all at once. Jean would lead the North group, Mikasa the East group, Erwin the West and Levi the South. Eren had one of the most risky positions in this arrangement. He would venture outside the walls before each of the 4 teams in Titan form with the sole purpose of corralling as many Titans together as was feasible so the teams would be able to expose as many as possible in a limited area. This would decrease risk of individual Titans engaging the teams but would increase the risk of exposing Eren unnecessarily to the formula. He was safe from it as a human, but fatal to him as a Titan. 

Hanji and Armin would remain at headquarters to continue with their groups to produce as much of the formula as possible to ensure that replenishment of all supplies was constant.

Almost everyone seemed to be in agreement that this was the best chance to defeat the Titans once and for all. There were a few naysayers who claimed that the Survey Corps and of course Eren Jaeger could not be trusted but they were quickly overruled. Everyone agreed that this would truly be a group effort. All of the leaders agreed to carry out the mission in three days time. This would be just barely enough time to prepare all of the horses, inspect all of the cannons and have everyone practice their aim with the flare guns. Most were used to using their blades; they did not get to use their guns often. We could only hope it would be enough time.

Erwin adjourned the meeting. The noise level went back up to deafening proportions almost immediately, so that was my cue to run out as soon as possible with Jaeger in tow to avoid being detained by any jerks who felt they needed to engage us personally with their dumb-ass questions. The brat was as eager as I was to get out of there, suggesting we head to the stables to get some fresh air while tending to the horses. They also had a huge job ahead of them so a little pampering right now would be in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer than usual chapter. Not very exciting but needed to move the plot along. The next one promises to be better. Hoping to have it out in a few days. Thanks again to everyone sticking with this story. Your kudos keep me going!


	19. Chapter 19

Most of the time at the stables was held in silence, just the occasional neigh from the horses as they enjoyed their grooming session. The brat was the one to break the quiet, “Do you think three days is enough time, Heichou?”

It was a good question; one that I am sure most of us had pondered since the meeting’s end. “It will have to be.” I could only hope and try to sound as confident as possible to reassure him. I knew he had the most dangerous part of the plan, risking being overrun by an unexpectedly large number of Titans or getting exposed to that formula. Everyone knows what is at stake and each leader will be reviewing every detail of minimizing risk, but he’ll be mostly on his own going from region to region before each of the four groups runs in, guns blazing.

“For the next three days, we will all just concentrate on some target practice with the guns and getting plenty of rest and nourishment so everyone is in top form when we leave the safety of the walls behind us. Since you won’t need the target practice, you can focus on your endurance and getting plenty of rest. You might be a huge Titan who can cover a lot of ground in a short time but you will have of lot of work gathering Titans in groups as you go around to each of the four directions. As soon as you finish one group and the gunmen come in to take out the ones you gathered, you will already need to hasten off to the next area. I’m sure you will be exhausted but I know you can do this. I’ve seen you work yourself much longer and harder- hopefully this will be the last time you’ll have to endure that kind of self-torture.”

“If you believe in me Heichou, then I have no doubts. With all of us together we will defeat the Titans and we can be free to live outside the Walls once again.”

The kid had such resolve burning inside; there was no uncertainty that the mission would be successful. His enthusiasm was infectious and I had come down with a bad case. I saw a future- our future in his eyes, and neither of us wanted to be denied of it. We would both do whatever it took to ensure the mission’s success and we would do anything to protect each other. 

The rest of our time in the stables passed quickly, as time does when you are working hard, concentrating on the tasks at hand. The horses were clean, fed and content and I was inwardly overjoyed to have spent the majority of the day alone with the brat I had come to love so much. It was wonderful to be able to smile knowingly at each other after sneaking random glances and enjoy casual, soft touches without fear of being discovered. Who knew such little things could make my heart race and my breath hitch. Luckily I didn’t outwardly show any evidence of this unlike Jaeger, whose face blushed from a rosy pink to bright crimson each time I caught his green eyes on my steely ones.

We hadn’t even stopped our work for lunch, so when it was time for dinner, we bid adieu to the horses and anxiously headed back to get some well-needed sustenance. I didn’t even want to wait to get a shower- I was that hungry. I just had to settle for washing my face and hands a few times. The brat appeared to be even more ravenous tonight- he always seems to have a huge appetite but he must have been famished. We both finished dinner in record time.

The only negative with having a full stomach was now the fatigue from the day’s ventures caught up with the both of us. I grudgingly completed the most crucial paperwork that just couldn’t wait any longer while Jaeger got a quick shower and went to spend some time with Arlert before it was time for him to head to bed.  
Drained by that last tidbit of work for the day, I dragged my exhausted ass to the shower as well, since there was no way in hell I could get a decent night’s sleep knowing that I was still filthy. After a quick scrub, I headed down immediately to the brat’s room and found said brat already deep in dreamland. Following suit, I slipped into the bed as quietly as I could and also fell asleep almost immediately as the comforting warmth from the presence next to me spread over me like the blankets I pulled up around me.

The next three days blurred by at lightning speed. Everyone was buzzing around, preparing for the mission. Cannons, canisters, barrels of the liquid formula were being constantly transported all over to the different cities and all around the Walls’ perimeters. The sounds of flare guns going off continuously as everyone practiced their aim standing still and also while moving on horseback. So much to do in such a little time. But deep down, it seemed everyone preferred this, as it lent an air of intensity and immediate pressure needed to get the job done right the first time. There was no time for anyone to get overconfident. I still got an occasional twinge of pain in my chest when I overdid it, but that was to be expected having just healed. It wasn’t like I hadn’t had to push myself before after an injury. I would make sure that nothing would hinder our success. 

That evening, there was a mandatory curfew for everyone involved in the mission to ensure that everyone was well rested and fully ready to take on the challenges ahead the next day. 

After dinner, I could sense almost everyone was at least slightly nervous, some much more apparent than others. Jaeger and I were one of the last few to leave, everyone seeming to want to hit the showers so they could get to bed early. I invited the brat back to my room so we could spend a little bit of quality time together and also hopefully alleviate a little bit of his anxiety. 

“Come on, Jaeger. Let’s go take a nice, long shower and relax a little. There won’t be much hot water left in the common baths with everyone else heading there right after dinner.”

He looked at me incredulously, obviously not expecting the offer. “Are you sure that’s ok, Corporal?”

“It’s the night before the most important mission of our lives and we both need to relax to be in top form tomorrow. So of course it is alright. I was charged with watching over you; no one ever told me where we had to be while I watched you,” I smirked at him.

We walked back to my room in relative silence; Jaeger glancing expectantly at me every few moments, almost as if he thought I would change my mind. When we entered the room, I set about with getting some towels ready and told the brat that he could go first. “You’re filthier than I am anyway so better for you to go ahead. I won’t need to take as long.”

He shook his head and giggled, stepping into the bathroom and turning on the hot water. Soon steam billowed out from beneath the door as I went about tidying everything up and turning down the bed. After what only seemed like a few minutes, the sound of the water stopped and Jaeger bounded out of the room, water droplets still clinging like tiny crystals to his hair and eyelashes. 

“Did you even have time to use any soap?”

His cheeks reddened slightly at the remark. “Of course I did. I’m just so used to rushing through shower time. There is no time or privacy for indulgences.”

“Tch. I just hope you were thorough or it’s the couch for you tonight.”

His eyes perked up “I assure you I am 100% clean- you can inspect me if you’d like.”

“No need to get cheeky, brat.” And I noticed his blush deepened on his face. “I’ll be out shortly, so try not to drip too much water onto the couch, ok?” as I headed into the already, nicely warmed bathroom. 

I stripped down and neatly folded up my clothes before turning on the water. Once the water was nice and hot again, I stepped in and washed down quickly before I could give my over-active imagination a few exercises in how to inspect the brat properly for cleanliness. It was quite the tempting offer. 

I slipped a nightshirt over my head and made sure the bathroom was spotless before I rejoined Eren in the next room. 

He had already made himself comfortable in my bed, back in “his spot” like he had never left. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I had been laying in this bed with him recovering not that long ago. And now, here we were again, the night before the most important offensive move for humanity in ages. My body, still slightly chilled from coming from the shower, looked forward to the warmth that was Eren Jaeger, as I slipped under the covers. Hmm, I always love it when he preheats the bed, although I am sure I will dread that same action once the climate changes to Summer.

We both instinctively shift to our normal positions, my back fitting perfectly up against his body, his arms around my middle. At first I didn’t notice but soon I feel a slight tremor of his normally steady strong hands. I roll him over so we are now face to face. “What’s the matter, brat? Your hands are shaking.”

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry if it bothered you- just a slight nervous tic.” I could see more anxiety in his eyes, than the slight tremble in his hands.

“Are you worried about tomorrow?” I ask as I took his hands in mine.

“A little. I’m more worried that I’ll be off on my own for most of it. Not for myself- I know I have complete control of my Titan now. I just hate being so far from you for the majority of the operation. I’ll only be close to you when I am gathering Titans on the South side and anything can happen since we all expect there to be a ton of them. I mean that’s good- the more there are together, the more we can eliminate now rather than on further follow-up missions. But I hate not being close to you if you need help.”

“Tch- don’t worry about me shitty brat- this old, stubborn jerk isn’t ready to die anytime soon. How do you think I feel? Worried that you’ll be overcome if there turns out to be a shit ton more Titans out there than we have surveyed before. Or even worse, if some asshole on our side gets some of that formula on you while you are in Titan form. Hanji told me that you only have like 1 or 2 minutes to get out of that body before you are in serious danger of dying with that husk. I won’t be there to cut you out if there is some emergency. I just have to trust that you’ll be careful.”

“ So even Heichou, Humanity's Strongest is slightly nervous too? That’s reassuring. But as for cutting me out, there shouldn’t be any need for that. The last two days while you and everyone else were doing target practice with the guns, Hanji and I finally perfected the technique for me to disengage and break out of the Titan form by myself. Armin made a nice holster for me to have two smaller knives easily accessible for that purpose. It’s actually easy once I got the hang of it. So please don’t worry about me, either.”

I look into those beautiful eyes, now a turquoise color, reflecting differently thanks to the candle light in the room and reach my hand up to brush a few loose strands of his brown hair away so I can have an unobstructed view. I still see a touch of nervousness lingering there but not as much as before, as I feel his warm fingers on my lips, tracing them. He must have read my mind, as he tells me, “I can’t wait for all of this to be over and we can start our future together.”

“Brat- that’s supposed to be my line,” as I lean in to kiss his soft lips. “Do you think you’ll have a difficult time falling asleep tonight?” I ask knowing that apprehension before any mission can be detrimental to a good night’s sleep.

“I’m still a little jittery so it may take a little bit, but if I’m in your arms, I should still be able to get enough sleep.”

“Well, I know something that will ensure that you will and hopefully will also give you an incentive to not die tomorrow.”

“Hmmm, what would…Mmmpf” I hushed him with a passionate kiss, one I had been holding in for far too long. Soon, Jaeger was reciprocating as we lost track of whose lips and tongues belonged to who, as they danced together in harmony. I trailed my hands up his back and pulled him in even closer, needing to possess him more. The heat being created between us, burning hotter by the moment. I feel his hands tentatively start to explore my back under my nightshirt, mimicking my actions as he also tries to bring us even closer if at all possible. I guess it was, as now I can definitely feel a growing hardness pressing up against my thigh and my own throbbing erection was pushing against Eren’s strong abs, as we laid in my bed. Our bodies seemed to take initiative for us to move against one another when we seemed perfectly content with just kissing each other into oblivion. The friction soon became unbearable and I broke the kiss before we rutted ourselves into a mess. I threw back the bed covers. Then moving back slight, I removed Eren’s nightshirt before leaning back in and trailing soft kisses down his chest and abdomen. I could feel his body hitch as I got close to his groin.

“Heichou, I thought we were going to wait until after the final mission was over, and I’ve never done anything like this before” he whispered, his breathing still too ragged to speak normally and it was damn sexy.

I scoot back up so I can look him in the eyes again. "Silly brat, as much as I want to take you and claim you fully, we will keep that promise. I just want us to take a bit of the edge off your nervousness and give us both something to think about and look forward to after the mission. I assure you, this will be nice but nothing compared to what lies ahead.”

I continued where I left off, licking a trail from his neck, back down towards his hardened length. In one quick motion, I freed it from the confines of his boxers and brushed over the tip with my tongue. “Corporal! Hng!” he yelled as I covered his cock with my mouth. ‘Oh good, he likes to be verbal,’ I thought to myself as he placed his hands in my hair, brushing through it frantically as he moaned deeply. He tasted just slightly sweet and smelled of my lavender soap, as I lavished every inch of his well-endowed member. I could feel his excitement and pleasure growing with each moment, his moans and outbursts getting louder and more frequent. All of those scandalous sounds coming from his innocent mouth just made me harder- so much so, I was starting to ache and drip like crazy. I continued to take him deeper an deeper into my mouth. I could feel Eren was almost there. With another sensual lick of his tip, he growled as best as possible, “Gonna cum, Corporal.”

I stopped for just a second, “Levi…call me Levi as you cum into my mouth.” And I replaced my lips on him.

“L-Levi…” he cried as he exploded in my mouth. Hearing him call my name like that was almost enough to undo me, it was so sultry and innocent at the same time, although how the fuck that was possible was beyond me. I feel him pull me back up to face him again, as I swallow the last bit of what he had given me. With one hand, he cupped my cheek lovingly, gazing lustily into my eyes. He buried his face in my neck, trailing soft kisses there. His other hand sent shocks through my entire body as he reached down between us and grabbed my extremely needy erection.The movement of his hand on me, made me lose all sense of reason. His fingers fit perfectly wrapped around my girth and if his hands were this hot, I could imagine how searing his tight, sweet ass would be. Those thoughts got me close to the edge as if I wasn't on the precipice already. His motions were inexperienced but that only added to my arousal. I couldn't hold back any longer. I screamed out his name, "Eren, hng..." and I came all over between us. We just stayed there holding each other for a few minutes, recovering from the intensity of it all and still enjoying the warmth we shared. I grudgingly got up to get some rags to clean us off so we could get some sleep, but when I got back to the bed he had already drifted off. Kids!

I cleaned everything up and got back into the bed, back in “our” position. I snuggled in closer, reveling in his warmth.

“Goodnight Eren. I love you,” I whispered to the wind since the kid was already asleep. Or so I had thought.

“I love you too, Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I am a little late updating but at least it is a longer than normal chapter, with a touch of smut and fluff. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ...Edit...  
> Thanks to some nice readers who pointed out a continuity flaw, I have edited the end of the chapter. Since I don't have a beta for this, I really appreciate the comments to point out my stupid mistakes. That and I should not post while half asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After a wonderfully, refreshing sleep, we both woke up before dawn, got dressed and had a quick breakfast- just enough for sustenance and energy, but not enough to weigh us down. The Garrison and Military Police had already left to position themselves all around the Wall’s perimeter and the North, East and West Survey Corps teams were just getting ready to head out. It wouldn’t take too long to spread out since the breaches to the outer walls had decreased humanities land significantly. Everyone wished each other well and hoped for the best. This was it – all had trained hard and on this day they would see the results of their labors and the efforts of all those who had gone bravely before.

My team would be the last to go out since the South region was so close to where we were stationed. Therefore, Eren would be leaving far ahead of me, starting at the East side. He would have an hour to round up as many Titans as possible in the immediate vicinity while the East team would gather on horseback and Maneuver Gear with the canisters. Once Eren was done his part, he would head to the North and the East team would start their assault on the gathered Titans once Jaeger was out of the immediate line of fire. 

In the meantime, any and all Titans who had gathered by the walls would be taken out by the cannons and guns of soldiers stationed all around by the MPs and Garrision. This would be happening all throughout the day and from all four directions.

The plan was simple and thorough but we all knew anything could happen. There would still be injuries and death. Sadly, that was just the reality of battle, no matter how wow prepared everyone was. I took Eren aside before he left. He still had a modicum of nervousness about him but not nearly as much as before. I hated to admit it, but the reality of him going off on his own was now starting to crash in on me heavily. I just wanted to hold him forever and never let go, but we both had our jobs to do. Humanity was depending on its Strongest and its last Hope. “Go get ‘em brat. I know you will be fine and I’ll see you again back here at dusk. Don’t you dare keep me waiting.”

“ I’ll see you then Corporal. I will fulfill my promise and eliminate these monsters. Just swear to me you’ll be careful.”

“Of course I’ll be careful. I have a reason to live now, remember?”

He flashed me one of those blinding smiles and that was all the incentive I ever needed- will ever need. I would kill Titans, climb mountains, swim through fire-water…whatever it took to be with him.

“Of course, I remember,” he whispered back to me, bending down slightly so his words brushed softly against my ear. “You gave me that same goal. I mean, I’ve always wanted to kill every last Titan but didn’t care if I lived or died afterwards. Now, I want to be able to spend every tomorrow with you.” He looked directly into my eyes and I found myself adrift in the blue-green of his before he turned away.

“I love you, Eren Jaeger” I whispered as he headed out. He looked back at me for a moment.

“I love you too, Levi. I’ll be back here in the South side by sunset.”

With those words, he turned and set out to fulfill his promise to humanity. I knew deep down, he would succeed-he had to, but watching him walk away, alone and heading into danger had to be one of the hardest moments I’ve ever had to live through.

The worst part was that the brat would be in the fray of combat for hours before our group even had to go out for our part. I won’t know what is happening for the majority of the time- just idle time for my imagination to wreak havoc on my being. At least, there were messengers placed all along the walls to report back the progress of each section. So my group kept busy with keeping the Garrison and MPs supplied with canisters along the Walls and also double checking our own equipment one last time, just to be sure.

Before long, we got our first report from the East region. Eren had gathered hundreds of Titans before it was all said and done so the gun team was able to eliminate the majority of them in one fell swoop. The few aberrants caused some issues and had to be chased down but nothing that Mikasa couldn’t handle with her Maneuver Gear. The other stragglers were forced towards the Walls where the Garrison and MPs were continuing their constant barrage. Overall, the plan seemed to be working flawlessly and Eren was already headed to the North region while Mikasa's team took out any remaining Titans. 

The process pretty much repeated itself for the North region as Jean and his team took out most of the Titans the brat had gathered. There weren’t as many of the monsters in this area, so at least Jaeger didn’t have to work quite as hard, so he could regain some strength. There was one close call, as the messenger reported that one canister almost hit Jaeger directly in the stomach as one of the troop’s guns misfired but the brat was able to jump out of range in a heartbeat. ‘Thank goodness,’ I thought to myself. He should have already been out of there before the guns started but the messenger said he stayed to gather a few more Titans before moving on to the West. Stupid, overachieving brat! I told him not to take chances. At least all was well so far and it was almost time for my team to head out. We were already halfway there.

The next region was Erwin’s in the West and his team had the most combat experience among all of the other groups. So I knew Eren would be able to get out of there before they started launching canisters at Titans. I didn’t want to hear about any more close calls- just wait until that Brat gets back here so I can give him a piece of my mind for taking unnecessary risks.

The clock continued ticking and soon another messenger arrived with an update. Erwin’s team had started engaging the enemy and Jaeger was headed south. It was finally time for my team to head out. I wanted to be fully ready and in position as soon as Eren was done rounding up the monsters in the South region. I knew he would be exhausted at this point, so I also wanted to be close enough to him to rip him free of his hulking form if need be. I knew he would be too stubborn to stop and ask for assistance, so I was adamant on being there in case he needed me.  
I gathered up my team. 

“All right ladies and gentleman, here we go. Remember the plan, we wait by the outer parts of the walls, since the Titans close by should all be taken care of by now. Eren Jaeger will be corralling as many Titans as he can into a concentrated area a good distance from the walls. Once he has the majority of them in the area together, he is going to head back towards the Wall to a designated checkpoint, while we bombard those fuckers with as many canisters as we can until there is nothing left but steaming piles of waste. Understood?”

“Yes!” was the resounding response I received. We were ready.

“For humanity!” I screamed and led my team out beyond the walls to wait for Eren. 

Fortunately, for us, we discovered that the cannons and their keepers had already done an excellent job and the outer perimeter was virtually Titan-less. Yes, there were still some steaming remains lying about but we encountered only two of the monstrosities walking around. Those too met their end quickly once they were within the range of the cannons.

Making excellent time, my team and I made it safely to our checkpoint. We could see some Titans off in the distance – ones that Eren would soon be gathering together- as many of the fuckers as he could- so we could take out the majority of them swiftly before they had a chance to take the offensive. Our maneuver gear wasn’t much good out in the open so we really had to be sure to keep the monsters at bay and continue a constant onslaught with our guns. We had a shit-ton of canisters with us so hopefully we’d have plenty to get rid of as many as we could today. If worse came to worse, we all knew we could head back to the Walls and if they pursued us, the cannons could make short work of them. The main goal for today’s mission was to take out as many Titans as we possibly could, hoping to put a large dent in their numbers. Then the subsequent missions would be on a much smaller scale, going out further and further until the last one is wiped out. We just hoped Hanji’s theories were true and that the Titans would tend to all want to stick close to their prey, so they wouldn’t be scattered all over the ends of the Earth. We also hoped that Titans were not prolific breeders. Hanji didn’t think so, but we know next to nothing about that process. She is hoping that once the number of Titans running around drops significantly; she can explore the basement of the Jaeger’s home, where hopefully, she can find answers to the mysteries she couldn’t solve with her experiments on Eren.

Speaking of the devil, or in this case, Titan shifter, I can see him approaching now, already working on herding a bunch of the monsters together towards a row of trees. 

“Alright team, Eren has started his part so stay extremely alert. As soon as he is satisfied that he has gotten as many as possible into one area, he will head back, leaving us to our assault. So now’s the time to check and triple check to make sure we are fully ready when the time comes.”

Everyone set about checking their guns, making sure plenty of canisters were ready to fly. We were all slightly tense- waiting for that moment to strike. Waiting is always the hardest part. Especially in this case, where I am forced to sit idly by and watch while Eren is putting his life on the line, in the fray of a ton of monsters. I was always amazed when observing him- graceful but strong in his Titan form and he was nothing short of incredible now, performing his job flawlessly. It gave me goosebumps, thinking about the sheer power he possesses but yet how tenderly he treated me. 

Soon, I am snapped back to the job at hand- Eren had gathered a huge amount of Titans together and was giving the signal that he was heading back. As soon as he was far enough away to avoid exposure to the formula, I gave my own signal and my team marched forward, guns blazing. Soon visibility was non-existent thanks to all of the steam created by decomposing Titan bodies, so we had to try to stay on the outer edges of where the Titans were gathered. As I was headed back to that outer circle, I saw three men on horses heading towards where Eren had just gone. I didn’t recognize them as anyone from my team and assumed they were there as a rear escort for Eren to ensure he made it back it safely. I’m sure he’s exhausted as he has been running non-stop since the morning and it was now about an hour before sunset. I was glad someone had thought about having escorts for him, though it had not been discussed previously.

Not having time to give the matter much more thought, I quickly turned my attention back to the job in front of me, urging my horse back into the skirmish, shooting canisters of death at any and all titans within my range. Not long afterwards, my team had gone through the greater part of the group Eren had organized and so I ordered everyone to split out in a circular formation to track and finish up any stragglers or runners. Luckily my team had a lot of excellent marksmen and soon, we had made short work of almost all Titans in the area. I thought to myself, if all four teams had destroyed this same amount of Titans, then there shouldn’t need to be many follow-up operations. There were piles of smoking husks everywhere; I couldn’t believe just how many of these bastards we had taken out. So many had been killed-just what the kid and I had set out to do.

Just as I was allowing myself to have a positive moment, celebrating in my mind that humanity had finally taken a huge step in the fight against the Titans, something was bound to happen. I should have expected it but life loves to make you comfortable and confident just so your world can come crashing back downwards. 

As I was scanning my immediate area for more Titans and also to check up on other members of my team, I saw that everyone was doing fine- no eminent danger approaching anyone and all injuries seemed to be minimal. Out of the blue, I heard a blood curdling shriek of pain echoing from a distance; back towards the Walls. I froze in panic- I knew the source of the scream- having heard it a few times in battle before. The sound of Eren in Titan form. That shouldn’t be possible, I thought to myself. He was on the way back to the Walls; almost all Titans that would have been a threat should have already been taken down. And what about those three riders following behind, escorting Eren back? Surely, they would be able to assist him if needed. Something was definitely wrong; I could feel it in my gut. 

I quickly urged my horse over to Sasha who was closest to me. The team was just about done with their mission. Only a handful of Titans were still roaming aimlessly. I gave Sasha the command and advised her that I was headed off back towards the Walls to make sure Eren was safe. I instructed her to make sure everyone was accounted for when the last Titan was taken down and head back the same way I was going so they could back me up if needed. Sasha nodded and went off to inform the rest of team while I urged my horse to break into a frantic run towards the Walls and Eren. I hadn’t heard any further screams and my mind and heart couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

Either way, I rode fast and hard, my horse barely able to keep up the fevered pace I was setting. Hold on Eren! Please be alright. We’re so close to freedom, please hold on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger. I promise to have the next part out in a few days though. Enjoy and thanks so much for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late- I had some internet issues. There is a little bit of violence in this chapter but nothing too graphic. Just wanted to put the warning out there just in case. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 21

As fast as I was going, time still seemed to be standing still. My mind whirling with every type of gruesome scenario possible- each one worse than the last. I had to focus to keep tears from forming, as that would only be detrimental to my mission at hand. That, of course being finding Eren and hopefully discovering him intact and unharmed. The worst case, saving him from whatever dangerous situation the brat found himself in this time. 

But first I had to find him. I could only hope he had stuck to the main path back to the Walls; but if he was ambushed by Titans, who knows if he had deviated from his course. Since there were no further screams or sounds of a scuffle, I couldn’t follow the direction of any noises either. Trying my best not to get distracted by panic or uncertainty, I listened as best I could, hoping for a faint rustle or rumble from any Titans that might have attacked Eren. But everything was preternaturally quiet. Something was terribly wrong- my gut instinct is rarely off the mark. At the speed I was going, I should be catching up to the three escorts, especially if they stopped to assist with a skirmish. Even if I don’t hear sounds of a brawl, I should at least hear or feel the thud of their horses ahead if they were still riding. None of it made sense. What kind of escorts were they if they could be taken out so easily. There wasn’t a single, living Titan in sight- it seems all of them within a huge radius had been destroyed. It seemed that we had accomplished just what the plan was supposed to. So how could it be that Eren ended up being attacked by a Titan badly enough for him to scream like that? I know he was exhausted but should have been able to defend against a stray Titan or two, while one or all of the escorts took out the threat.

Then it hit me like a huge hammer over my head. How could I have been so ignorant and blind? My heart leaped up, out of my chest and seemed to have lodged in my throat as I realized what had most likely happened. Those three escorts….they had done well to conceal their faces with their cloaks- I did not recognize any of them. And why would Erwin or Hanji set up escorts without telling me? No one else but Armin was involved in the plans and I know he didn’t set this up. Why hadn’t I questioned it then when I first saw them? Those men weren’t there to escort Eren, they were sent to ambush him. I had become lax- forgetting there were many who never trusted Jaeger- still saw him as nothing more than a monster. Leave it to some assholes who allowed the kid to sacrifice everything and play his part in saving humanity only to then attack him for it afterwards if he survived. I was burning up with fury and overwhelmed with fear for the worst. I failed miserably in my vow to protect the one who meant the world to me- the one who was my world. I could only urge my poor horse to surge on faster than before and hope with all of the hope in the world that I wasn’t too late.

I soon pass by two un-manned horses. I knew I had to be close, so I slowed down and took precious time I didn’t have to scan the immediate area for any sign of the riders. To my right, there were some trees and I could hear slight rumblings from beyond them- an occasional snap of a fallen branch marring the silence. I jump off my horse, leading him to a tree on the far edge of the group of pines. I don’t want to tie him up in case I need to make a quick getaway. I just have to trust that nothing spooks him into bolting off too far. I need to get closer to apprise the situation but I don’t want to risk detection. I needed the element of surprise to succeed in this mission. I weaved in and out of a few tree trunks until I caught a glint of something metal, reflecting an orange glow from the setting sun. Being as quiet as possible I found a better vantage point and finally got to see what was happening. 

 

Eren was no longer in Titan form, the shell of which was laying on the ground smoking and evaporating away. He was backed up against a tree, one of his small blades in his right hand, defending himself against two men I did not recognize. I could only assume that they were two of the three I saw on horseback pursuing Eren. I could see even from a distance that Eren’s footing was unstable- he had just spent the entire day in Titan form, fighting and traveling long distances, so I know his body had to be at its limit. The drain on him after being a Titan was always heavy, even on a good day. His left arm was emitting smoke as it dangled helplessly at his side- not sure how he sustained that injury but I knew I had to step in and help him. They hurt my Eren and all I could see was red. They would pay. I just didn’t want to rush in and startle anyone in case those bastards used my presence as a distraction to descend upon Eren. That and I had no idea where the third man was- I scanned the immediate area again and saw no one else, but with the daylight almost gone, there were shadows everywhere providing ample hiding spots. 

I decided my best chance was to sneak up behind one of two threatening Eren and slice him down before the other realized what was happening. Then I could spin around and take out the second one, hopeful that the third one had already been taken out by Jaeger or maybe ran off in fear. I started to head over to them, hoping Eren would not acknowledge if he saw me. Like a cat stalking its prey, I got up close swiftly and silently towards the first man and sliced his throat with one quick swish of my maneuver gear blade. As his body slowly slumped to the ground, I whirled over to the second man, who had a free moment to pull out a gun. I instinctively kicked the gun out of his hand as he had just begun to pull the trigger, the deafening sound of its release breaking the tranquility, and the bullet went wild, hitting a tree trunk. With his other hand, the assailant spun around punching; I jumped back enough where I did not take a full blow, but did sustain a slight hit to the face. I put my hands up to my head defensively and when I glanced back I saw that Eren had pounced upon this attacker with his blade, stabbing him repeatedly. I had to stop the brat after a few moments, his rage overpowering his fatigue. I grabbed his wrist tightly and looked into his eyes, “Eren, it’s over.” He dropped the blade on the ground and fell to his knees, his exhaustion being almost complete at this point. Tears fell from his eyes- orbs which were gold and green at this point, his anger dissipating and his humanity reappearing. I bent down to touch his face to comfort him, his obvious grief over having to take a human life weighing heavy on his gentle heart. I had foolishly forgotten about the rest of the world in my efforts to soothe Jaeger’s anger and anguish, as I felt a stabbing pain pierce through my back. I gasped in shock at the sudden pain, feeling another stab immediately afterwards and wetness pooling onto my clothes. I saw Eren’s face snapping up and him lunging forward, right over top of me, to attack my attacker, as I fell to the ground. I looked back and saw that asshole Gisel with Eren’s blade in his hand and a demented grin on his face. I should have banished that jerk when I had the chance. Now look at the damage he had created. Things started to get blurry. I could barely hear Gisel spewing obscenities and slurs: “fucking monster”, “you both deserve to die”, “scum”, “I saw you two in the hallway together, kissing”, “Fucking disgusting” ,“traitor.” The next sounds I could discern were Eren’s screams and the garbled noise of someone being choked while still trying to speak. I thought I heard bones crunching, but at this point the pain and loss of blood has made me extremely lightheaded. Right before I pass out, Eren picked me up and started running. I thought for a moment to question how he could run being exhausted. His strength is beyond my comprehension- maybe it was only an adrenaline rush but run he did. I looked up into his eyes once more before everything goes black and only see the gold of his Titan form, even though he has not transformed. He’s holding me close, as I lose consciousness looking into that sea of rage, as he yells for me to hang on.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in Eren's POV. I'm sorry to change that up from Levi's view but I felt this was the best way to convey the message I am trying to send. I'll have the next chapter up soon but after that, there may be a slight delay in updating since I so want to do a fluffy, Christmas short fic set in modern times. A happy little story, with warm scarves and mittens, hot cocoa and just a touch of smutty, holiday goodness. 
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to keep on reading and leaving comments or kudos. I really appreciate it!

Chapter 22

(Eren’s POV)

Running, got to go faster, but I am so tired and hurt all over. Especially my arm. Those three bastards had actually attacked me with the formula I had given a part of myself to, created by Hanji. With only a huge stroke of good fortune, they had merely hit my arm and I was now able to jump out of my Titan form by myself before the damage was fatal. I was able to avoid being disintegrated but I had some severe burns on my left arm, the flesh still blistering and steaming slightly. But I couldn’t care about that now. My injuries were not fatal, but the two gashes inflicted on the Corporal were deep and no matter how tight I held him against my chest, I could still feel blood running fresh and warm down my arms. I had to get him back to the Walls for medical assistance to get the bleeding stopped and his wounds mended. I knew we weren’t too far but it seemed like I was running forever before I arrived, time skewed by my sense of urgency to help Heichou. The guards at the nearest gate saw us coming and opened it for us, a surprised Hanji and Armin on the other side as I rushed in, panting and gasping for them to get help right away.

Hanji beckoned for me to follow her to a nearby building that had been set up as a makeshift hospital. Luckily, there seemed to be few casualties so there was plenty of space with a clean bed readily available for me to place the Corporal down. As soon as his body hit the bed, a doctor and nurse got to work on cleaning the wounds and stitching them up to stop the bleeding.

Hanji pulled me aside to look at my left arm. “Eren, what happened? I heard your scream earlier and then nothing. I ran to the gate with Armin thinking you had suffered a terrible injury and was expecting Levi to be running back here carrying you. Instead it was the other way around.” Her eyes were wide and her voice was frenetic. I’m sure I looked the same, as I nervously kept my eyes on the Corporal. I didn’t want to be too far from him. I stepped back over to his side and grabbed his hand on the side where the doctor and nurse were not working. If felt so tiny and cold in mine, which was still burning up from all of the day’s activity. I turned back to Hanji and Armin who had pulled up some chairs around the bedside for all of us. I started to explain how I had been ambushed by three men, my voice cracking terribly. I had not realized before then that I was sobbing violently; noticing my hands were covered in blood and tears. It had happened so quickly, my head my spinning with pain, fatigue and worry over the man next to me. After all we had gone through, I could not bear to lose him, definitely not at the hands of some ignorant, cruel jerks who thought that they had a right to judge and punish them. I told Hanji and Armin how I had been heading back to the Walls, Levi’s group engaging all of the Titans I had just gathered. When I had gotten close I noticed three men on horseback approaching me, assuming they were messengers or an escort of sorts that maybe Levi had sent being I was exhausted. Instead of being there to help, they started launching canisters of the formula at me, luckily missing any vital parts, only hitting my left arm. Heeding the warning, I knew I only had a few minutes to get out of my Titan form, before the damage would be fatal. I got myself out in just enough time but my arm is pretty damaged. I screamed in pain when the canister hit me and I guess the Corporal heard it too. When I got out of my Titan, two of my attackers were there, trying to cut me down with their blades. I was able to hold them off with one of the small knives I had been carrying to help cut myself out, until Levi got there. I didn’t know where the third one had gone but once I saw the Corporal, I just snapped into action and we took the two down. I then explained that the third man was that asshole Gisel who used to guard me in the mornings and treated me like shit. Hanji couldn’t believe it; Gisel was never one to seem violent. I told her some of the things he had said to me while in the dungeon in the past and then told her how he had snuck up behind Levi and stabbed him for being a supporter of mine. He said something about seeing us kissing in the hallway and how he was disgusted at me, the monster and at Levi for being with said monster. My eyes were already leaking and I didn’t think I could cry any harder, But now, the tears started falling more quickly and the sobs wracking my body were more violent. All of this was my fault- if Levi hadn’t cared about me, he wouldn’t be gravely wounded right now. I gripped his hand tightly but it still seemed to get colder by the moment and I’ve never seen his face so pale before. 

Hanji tried to get me to let go of his hand so I could go to the next room to tend to my burned arm, but I refused to go. “No, please don’t worry about me. I have my healing abilities- please focus on Hiechou.” The medics had pretty much cleaned him up and had sutured the two stab wounds but I could see his breathing getting slower and slower, and his hand getting more frigid. I knew it didn’t look promising. “What else can be done?” I begged. 

The medics just provided their standard answer, “We’ve done everything we can for now. He’s lost a lot of blood-maybe too much. We’ll just have to wait and hope for the best.”

Of course, I was not going to just take that, “What do you mean, wait? We need to do something now.”

“There’s nothing more we can do and we have other patients that need immediate assistance, “ they said as they walked away.

I turned to Hanji, desperation and fear in my voice this time. “Hanji, please, I’m begging you. We need to do something- he’s lost too much blood.”

“I’m sorry Eren, there isn’t much we can do. We don’t keep a large blood supply around since transfusions aren’t done that often- they are risky at best.”

“You can give him some of my blood. I’m O something you said when you were doing all of those tests in me. You said I could give blood to almost anyone. He needs blood and I have plenty. I can regenerate more for myself later, so please, there isn’t much time.”

“Eren, we don’t know what that would do to you- what if it triggered a transformation? What if you die from the extreme blood loss too? And Levi could reject your blood- we’re just not sure.”

“ Dammit Hanji, please.” I could feel the rage boiling up inside of me like when I almost ripped off Gisel’s head. I was furious and desperate then and I am just as despondent now as precious minutes flew by. “One thing is for sure right now. Levi will die if he doesn’t get blood. And I don’t want to live on without him- no, I can’t live without him. If I die knowing that he’ll be alright, then I accept that. Do you fucking understand? Please!” I begged with my eyes and saw she had given in as I reached out my arm so she could start extracting my blood.

“Fine, but if you die, it’s not on my hands. I am doing this against better judgment,” as she goes to get her syringe.

She rushed back a few moments later with another medic in tow. One of them to extract blood from me and the other to inject blood into Levi. It was a process that seemed to take forever, but it seemed to be helping. Levi’s hand wasn’t as icy as before and he didn’t look quite as pale. When Hanji declared the procedure over, she removed the tourniquet from my good arm and assisted me in getting up so she could get me to the nearest bed. “You’ll need to rest for at least a day and you’ll need plenty of water to help the replenishment process. We took a lot of blood from you and I’m sure you’re at the brink of total exhaustion as it is from all the physical activity of the day.” Hanji didn’t know the half of it, I thought to myself. If I felt tired before, I couldn’t describe how lethargic I felt now. As soon as I tried to stand up, a wave of dizziness hit me. My left arm throbbed and my vision blurred as I swooned on shaky legs. I could hear the medic say to Hanji that maybe they had taken too much blood and Hanji was responding back. I could no longer make out the words she was saying, as my world spun faster in my head and I started to grow very cold. I began to shiver from the sudden chills while I just tried to concentrate of thoughts of Levi getting better. The shivers turned to full-on convulsions after a few minutes and I heard Hanji’s voice again- but this time she is screaming something as I feel myself drifting off into a dark void of nothingness.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to post this chapter as soon as possible. I hate to keep anyone waiting too long and I really want to get my Christmas fic done, so I figured the sooner the better. Enjoy!

Chapter 23

Back to Levi’s POV

Darkness all around me. It must be summer already. I am lying in a bed that’s not my own and it’s extremely hot. Tiny beads of sweat are forming on my brow and when I scrunch my face up in disgust from the moisture forming there, I can feel those beads roll down and onto the pillow. Disgusting- I need to get a shower. I try to remove the blanket that covers me and get out of bed; however, the muscles in my body no longer seem to want to listen to my brain. I can’t even manage to open my eyes. I start to gain more consciousness as the minutes tick on and find that not only am I too weak to get out of this bed, but I ache everywhere. I’m almost afraid to try to open my eyes and see what state I am in. Where the hell am I? What the fuck had happened? 

I stopped my thoughts before they got too discombobulated and tried to remember the last thing that had occurred before this morning. I vaguely recalled being carried in Eren’s arms and him running like the wind. Why was he holding me? Had something happened to my horse? Wait- a sudden sharp jab in my back awakens a recent memory. Oh yeah- that bastard Gisel- he snuck up behind me and stabbed me in the back two times. I guess that explains why I hurt like hell. What had happened to Gisel? Something about Eren- something off. Anger- golden eyes. That’s right. Eren’s eyes were those of his Titan but he was in human form- right before he lunged at Gisel. I didn’t see firsthand what the end result of that encounter was, but from the sounds I heard, Gisel was no longer among the living. I couldn’t feel badly- the jerk had it coming. The motherfucker had amazingly caught me by surprise and stabbed me. Eren had seemed so feral. What if more people had been chasing him after I passed out? Was he alright? His arm had been in pretty bad shape. Had I failed completely in my mission to keep him safe? A sudden wave of nausea from worry and disgust at myself hit me and I had to know that the brat was ok. “Eren?” I screamed out loud, though the sound of my voice cracked as my eyes finally opened violently to frantically scan my surroundings. Hanji must have been close by as I heard her mumble something and then the unmistakable skipping sounds as she bounded over to my bedside. It appeared I was in a makeshift hospital and I tried to ask Hanji what was going on before she shushed me with a cup of water and some medicine. I drank the pills down and tried to ask where Eren was to the best of my ability. Hanji pointed over to a bed near mine and I strained to lift my head up enough to see a headful of messy brown hair on the pillow. Thank goodness he was close by. I was still too weak to move any further and my voice was shaky as well, but I needed to know that Eren was alright. I also needed to know why it was so damn hot in this room. I didn’t feel feverish. The weather had just been getting warmer for early spring- surely not that much time had passed into Summer?

“How long have I been out of it, Hanji?” I whispered, not wanting to disturb any other patients who might be resting.

“Three days, more or less. You would seem to come to for a little while, sweating profusely and having slight convulsions. But I guess you were never fully conscious until now.”

Then I had to ask the question that my heart and mind were dreading, but I needed to know. “What about Eren, is he ok? His left arm was damaged by the formula when he was still in his Titan form but he didn’t have any other injuries that I know of before I lost consciousness.”

“He brought you in here. He was exhausted- at the brink of collapse. He got you here as quickly as he could- you were bleeding pretty heavily and we cleaned and closed the stab wounds with stitches. You had lost a lot of blood and he was frantic….”

“Hanji, answer my question. Is Eren all right? Did something happen to him after he brought me here?” I could tell from her expression that something was wrong and the brat was not just sleeping in the nearby bed. But the damn woman just wouldn’t spit it out. “Hanji, tell me!” I somehow got some strength back- probably just an adrenaline rush from my fear of her answer. I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me as much as my body could, hoping she could see how desperate and irritated I was.

“Levi… you lost a lot of blood and it didn’t look good. He insisted we give you a transfusion of his blood since he has the universal blood type. It’s not an exact science and we don’t do it too often. You needed a large amount but it seems we may have taken too much from him. We all thought his regenerative powers would have kicked in and he’d be fine in no time. But with his body already at the point of exhaustion and having given so much blood, they didn’t. I'm sure the injury to his arm didn't help things either. The blood is what has the healing power in it, so when he gave so much, he fell into a coma. He of course still has some blood and his regenerative powers are the one thing keeping him alive, but just barely. Sadly, they are so slow right now, we are not sure if he will make it or not.”

“How could you let him do that, Hanji? He’s just a kid with his whole life ahead of him. Because of him, we were able to find a solution to end this nightmare- he is a fucking hero and you let him risk his life for me?”

“Eren begged us- not that you aren’t important, but we didn’t want to risk a transfusion either. He willingly made the choice- he wanted to do everything he could to save you. I could have sworn his eyes were golden and raging, like his Titan. I thought he would rip right through me if I didn’t agree to do the procedure. We didn’t know how it would affect either of you- hell, we still don’t know how many side effects there will be for the both of you.”

“What side effects are you talking about, shitty glasses? “

“Well, I’m sure you’ve already noticed that you are all sweaty and you complained about the heat- you already have the same, constantly elevated body temperature that Eren has and you seem to now share his regenerative powers. While it certainly isn’t as fast as when we saw him regrow his tooth that time, your knife wounds are already fifty-percent healed in just three days.”

“Are you telling me that I now have Eren’s powers? Titan powers? Holy fuck, what if I start transforming? Woman, what have you done?”

“Whoa there, calm down soldier. At this point we really don’t know to what extent your inherited powers might be. We have plenty of time to experiment with you later on, Levi. We just have to make sure to keep you calm and not piss you off,” Hanji chuckled though I saw no humor in this situation. I now had Titan shifter blood in my veins and no one knew for sure what the implications of this were. I sure as hell wasn’t about to let this crazy woman perform any experiments on me. I looked back over at the bed where Eren laid. My heart sank, knowing he was in a coma because of me. Stupid brat- doing something so rash and selfless. What the hell was he thinking?

“Hanji, do you think you could help me up? I need to go over to Eren’s side.”

“Of course, but you have to take it easy. You haven’t had any solid food in three days and even though you are healing quickly, we don’t want you to open up your wounds. You’re so lucky that none of your vital organs got skewered by that guy. Eren explained to us briefly why Gisel and those other two did it, but I can’t believe one of our own could have harbored such hatred for the two of you.”

Hanji was one of those optimistic people who hated to acknowledge flaws in anyone unless she experienced them first-hand, so I understood why she didn’t see the danger among her squad. Maybe now she won’t trust so blindly. She helped me out of the bed; pain ripping down my back as I leaned forward onto her. Thank goodness she is slightly taller than me or we both would have tumbled forward. Her arm around my shoulder and the other on my arm, she led me over to Eren. There is already a chair by his bedside and Hanji lowered me down to it as softly as she could, which considering this is Hanji, isn’t gentle enough for me. His face is slack- unnaturally pale; his long, thick eyelashes a glaring shock of boldness against his cheeks. His respirations were shallow and labored but if not for them, I would have sworn he was just another corpse that I have run across in the many years of war. This thought, I had to eliminate it immediately, as it instantly brought tears to my eyes. Fucking little shit, he had to go and make my eyes dredge up tears after being dry for so many years. Hanji excused herself, saying she would go get me some broth and bread to help get my strength back.

Alone now with Eren, I reached down to the blankets covering him and pull them back slightly to reveal his right arm. There was quite a lot of purple and yellow bruising there and as I ran my fingers along them, I could feel the tiny pinprick holes that the syringe had left behind. Holes where his blood was ripped from him and given to me. His lifeforce that I just didn’t deserve. I didn’t have any sign of them using the syringe on me and it wasn’t fair. I took his hand in mine and there was no resistance, just cold as ice. The sharp contrast of the heat from my hand with the iciness of his was almost too much to bear. The tears that had formed earlier had started running like a river. I sobbed violently for failing to protect the man I loved and for not being able to do anything for him now. For the first time since I was a child I felt lost and helpless- none of my skills being worth a damn in this situation.

Soon Hanji returned with some sustenance for me and some water and medicine for Eren. She tilted his head up and spooned the liquid in, a little at a time. I didn’t have much of an appetite but I had to get some food down. I munched a piece of bread and quickly sipped down the cup of broth while she finished administering the water to Eren.

“Hanji, is there anything else we can do? Anything you discovered in your experiments to help with getting his regeneration kicked back in?” I asked hoping for something but expecting a negative reply.

“We never could figure that out. When Eren was determined to do something, he could heal himself in a matter of minutes. With him being unconscious, I don’t think he can control that aspect of his powers at all.”

“Why is he so cold? He’s always been like an oven, generating heat all of the time. I remember when my rib was cracked, his warmth felt amazing when he was cuddled up next to me. Why would he no longer have that trait either?”

“We just don’t know, Levi. It has to do with him losing so much, we are sure, but I never found anything specific in his blood related to his elevated temperatures. Wait! Didn’t you once tell me you thought your rib bone healed much quicker because of Eren’s warmth next to you constantly? And now you’re the one with that warmth. We’ve tried using a ton of blankets and put him as close to the fire as we could but we just can’t get his body temperature back up. He will never heal if we can’t at least get him warmed up. Maybe if you snuggled up to him for the next few days, it will work for him like it did with you?”

“I don’t know. We don’t even know if this is just a temporary effect on me or not. It’s worth a try though. You know I would do anything to help him, Hanji.” I said as I tried to wipe the tears off of my cheeks with the napkin Hanji had brought with my food. I had her help me once again to position me in the bed with Eren, spooning up behind him, even though he is the bigger of us two. I held him as tightly as my sore and weakened body would let me, the shock of how cold he was all over sent a shiver or two through me, despite the furnace I felt burning inside of me.

“I would do anything and everything to bring you back to me” I whispered into his hair and felt myself start to drift off to sleep, the medicine Hanji had given me kicking in. I could only hope that my everything would be enough.


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning, I am awakened by a certain shitty glasses who is taking Eren’s temperature and getting ready to administer medication. How she manages to make so much noise doing so is beyond me. When she is done with him, she repeats the process with me, poking and prodding me like an experiment of hers. I sit up in the bed, reluctant to fully lose contact with the brat beside me.

“How is he doing this morning Hanji? Any improvement at all? He still looks so pale.”

“Well, not a huge difference but at least something positive. His temperature has increased from 95 degrees to 96. And his heart rate is a little bit faster as well. Hopefully at this pace, he’ll at least be normal in a few days and his healing will kick back in.”

“Is that all? Only one degree? I was hoping to have had more of an effect on his temperature at least. I realize anything is progress, but we don’t have much time. I’m no doctor but I know people can’t survive too long with a temperature that low.”

“It’s looking better though- he’s hasn’t gotten worse like most people in this situation would. He’s not out of the woods yet though; we can only hope that we can get him past the critical point before he suffers from irreparable damage.”

“I feel so helpless, Hanji. This is the worst. I would slay a hundred titans to protect him but there’s nothing more I can do now except stay right here next to him as long as I have to. He just has to get better.”

“We can only stay positive Levi. He’s a fighter, just like you. Obviously what you are doing helped a little bit- just keep your warmth close and hopefully your theory about it sppeding up the healing process is correct. In the meantime, I’ll go get your breakfast.”

I’m not really hungry in the least but I know I have to eat to build my full strength back. I need to be strong for the both of us, until Eren has recovered. As soon as she walks away, I can hear familiar, heavy footsteps heading towards the bed. I know it’s Erwin from the echoing sound of them. I doubt very highly that this is just a social call being that he is a busy man most of the time, especially now with the aftermath of our first offensive and planning for the next.

“Levi, how are you feeling this morning?”

“Like shit, but it could be worse. I’m not worried about myself.”

“True, I hate to burden you with more than you already have to deal with; but, I need to speak with you about something important.”

“Just spit it out Erwin- no need to sugar coat it.”

“I wanted to speak with you yesterday but you were just waking up from your injuries. When Eren brought you in, you were in a pretty critical condition. We managed to get some information from him but there was so much chaos of trying to tend to you. He ended up unconscious after donating so much blood and already being at his body’s limit. So as I understand it, one of Hanji’s men, Mihael Gisel and two unknown accomplices attacked Eren on his way back to the Walls. First they tried to kill him with the formula while he was still in Titan form but he was able to cut himself out before the dose was fatal to him. I wasn’t aware he could do that.”

“Yes, he had told me right before the mission that he had finally perfected that skill. Arlert fashioned a way for Jaeger to carry two small blades that he would have easy access to while inside the Titan form.”

“Ok, so after that I didn’t get much more information. So Eren manages to get free and the two accomplices attack him?”

“Yes, when I came upon them, the two assailants had Eren backed up to a tree and all he had to protect himself with was one of the small blades. His left arm had been badly damaged.”

“It seems that is where they hit him with the formula before he got out of his Titan.”

“Ah, that makes sense now. All I remember is I saw them threatening Eren and I snuck up on one, slicing his neck with my blade and then I tried to get the 2nd one but he managed to fight back some. Jaeger came after him and took him down with his small knife.”

“And so what about Gisel during all of this?”

“I have no idea where he was hiding but he managed to sneak up behind me and started stabbing. I was hurt pretty badly and could barely move. I was on the ground and only heard Eren take care of him. I didn’t actually see what he did.”

“Well, the Military Police found the bodies the day before yesterday and it’s pretty much how you described it except for some minor details it seems you were not aware of.”

“What are you trying to say, Erwin?”

“They reported that one man had a fatal gash in his neck- that would be the one you took out. The one man you said Eren stabbed had over 50 puncture marks on his body and Gisel…well he was barely recognizable. It looked as if he had been torn apart. They are making it look like you both went on the offensive against them, not in self defense. Seems Gisel was the son of an important person in the government and they are calling for Eren’s execution for the death of those 2 men. They are saying that since he is a Titan shifter, he can never be trusted.”

“But Eren was only defending himself- they were trying to kill him…us. He wasn’t even in Titan form.”

“All the more reason they are afraid of him. If you saw the damage he did to Gisel as a human, you’d be shocked, Levi.”

“He deserved it. They just can’t do that. Jaeger just about cinched our victory in this war. He risked everything for the sake of humanity and they want to kill him for it? For killing a piece of shit that taunted him mercilessly for months? He put up with all that shit without a single complaint and now they want to execute him? I won’t stand for that- they won’t get away with it.”

“They can and they will if the trial goes that way. Of course, they want to put you on trial as well for the man you killed but you have a chance. I fear Eren does not. Now I’ve already told them that both of you were mortally wounded, which was true and we brought them in to see you just in case they did not believe me. They know there is a chance neither of you will survive.”

“What are you getting at, Erwin?”

“If Eren survives his injuries, I believe that the powers that be will want him dead with or without a trial. I am sure of it. The rumors and conversations behind closed doors are spreading that Eren was some sort of monster even as a human. There’s even a good chance they would call for your extermination as well for killing that man and for letting Eren kill without taking him down. Hanji, Armin and I have already discussed that it might be best to fake your deaths and have you two flee from the walls and settle down somewhere far from here. The Titans have been greatly reduced in numbers and we’d be sure to give you plenty of the formula to protect yourselves. We’ll have random excursions to check on you two until we can all move out there in a few years. By then, your names will have become memories and we can continue to protect you if needed. I doubt many will want to venture too far from the wall for quite a while. It will be a huge adjustment for the majority of the citizens to go back to life without fear, so you could live out your days in peace.”

“So you just want us to run away. Like cowards? I was there! I am a witness who can testify on Eren’s behalf. I can tell them the truth about what really happened.”  
“I’m afraid that might backfire on you both. Seems Gisel was also spreading a rumor to his family and closest associates that you and Eren are lovers. He claims he saw you two kissing in a hallway shortly after you had that altercation in the dungeon room. If that is brought up in the trial, your testimony won’t mean much. They won’t trust your word if they think you are protecting your lover.”

“This is fucking bullshit, Erwin! You expect us to both become outcasts for the rest of our lives?”

I didn’t get a reply. I could only look away from the Commander and hold tightly onto the unconscious man next to me, unsure if I was trying to comfort him or attempting to make myself feel a little better after the shock of the blasphemy I was hearing. Most likely it was both. I have never given up without a fight and it seemed hypocritical to everything Eren and I believed in, so the most painful part was that Erwin was right. We most likely wouldn’t have a chance in hell in front of the court. If it were a physical fight, we would be victorious, no doubt in my mind, but to battle against hatred, prejudice and ignorance was fruitless. After a few moments of awkward silence, Erwin mentioned, “You know there isn’t any other option, Levi. Unless Eren doesn’t make it. Then you might have a chance on your own.”  
“What do you mean ‘if’? Of course he is going to make it. How dare you even fucking suggest such a thing. We are both going to recover and then the hell with the rest of the morons here. We’ll find a nice place of our own, far away from this shithole and everyone else here can rot!”

“That’s the spirit, Levi. I knew you’d see reason,” he says as he pats me on the shoulder. “Keep taking good care of Eren, hopefully he’ll be better soon. I’ll tell Hanji to keep telling the Military Police that it doesn’t look good for either of you.”

“You manipulative bastard.”

“That’s why I am Commander.” He winked and walked out the door, leaving me to my most precious task of holding Eren close, providing him with all the enveloping warmth and love I could provide. The war had all but been won against the Titans but Eren and I had to continue our fight- alone against a cruel world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. This was a bit of a heavy chapter and I took a quick break to finish my fluffy Christmas fic. I needed some happiness for these 2. Thanks for ready.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this chapter does have some minor spoilers if you have not caught up to date on the manga and anime. Nothing that will give away huge plot points, but just wanted to make readers aware just in case. Thanks!

Chapter 25

Shortly after Erwin’s departure, Hanji returned with some tea, fruit and bread. I hadn’t an appetite before and now the churning in my stomach made the thought of food even more unappealing. That and I had begun to sweat, my body burning up from the inside. I sit back up, still sure to keep contact with Eren as much as possible and tried to eat some of the fruit. It was a freaking miracle I could keep any of it down. I didn’t even want my signature cup of tea since I was feeling so warm. Hanji got me some cold water instead and that felt much better.

“So what happened from the time I left to get you breakfast? Were you not feeling well before?”

I explained how Erwin had come in and had basically told me that thanks to some pompous assholes trying to act all righteous about the death of three scumbags, that Eren and I would need to fake our deaths and become like refugees until some of you guys can join us once all of the Titans have been cleared out.

“So I guess that wonderful news upset me as much physically as it did mentally and emotionally. I still can’t believe the shit that was coming from Erwin’s mouth.”  
“You can’t really blame him, Levi. You should have seen how those jerks marched in here the other day with their demands and misplaced justice. They insisted on seeing the two of you, not convinced until they saw how grave your injuries were. They were quite serious about going to trial and getting a death penalty. The bastards. After all of this, both of you deserve a chance of a happier life far away from these Walls.”

A life of freedom, wide-open spaces, new scenery. Yeah- that all sounded wonderful but would it be enough for us to forget that we were utterly shunned by those we had just given salvation to? “That all sounds great Hanji but Eren and I really got the shitty end of the stick of this time. All he wanted to do was to help out humanity and this is how they return the favor? I’m an antisocial jerk, but will Eren adapt to us just being alone for an uncertain amount of time? That and we’ll have to totally depend on ourselves for everything.”

“You two are both very resourceful. We will be sending you off with 2 horses and a cartful of supplies. I know you are good at hunting and you can plant some of the seeds we’ll send along. You two will have plenty to keep you busy- you won’t have time to miss us. And we’ll join you guys just as soon as we can so you both don’t get too lonely.”

“Hanji, I don’t know shit about farming. You are talking about a city boy who used to steal what he needed and after joining the Survey Corps, food and such was provided. I just needed to ensure that I had my steady supply of my favorite tea and soap. Nothing a little bribing couldn’t procure. We won’t have that luxury anymore so you better make sure to pack a fuck ton of my tea and soap.”

“Don’t worry-we’ll send you off with plenty- just be frugal with it. And Eren told me that he used to work with crops before he was old enough to join the military. I’m sure he can show you what to do.”

“Great- the two of us will be spending our days getting full of dirt and animal guts just so we can have food to survive.”

“Ahem- I’m sure that there is something else you two will be spending your days doing and it involves a whole other kind of dirty.”

“Hanji! That’s not even funny, you shitty glasses. That’s the last thing on my mind right now. I just want him to start healing.”

“Yeah, me too. In the past, his regenerative powers have been non-consistent, so I don’t have any solid information to base anything on. Sometimes his limbs would grow back in around thirty minutes and other times it would take a few days. At least his healing power is working enough to keep him alive. Once we know for sure that the majority of Titans have been eliminated, maybe Erwin and I can take a small team to finally get into Eren’s basement. There still has to be more data there- some that will still be of use to Eren and now maybe even for you now that you have some Titan blood in you as well. Like why you are sweating like a pig. Wonder why your body has suddenly started producing more heat today? I can feel it radiating off you and the sweat is unusual for you, Levi. The worst of your injuries have already healed so I don’t think it’s in response to healing yourself. You don’t show any signs of infection either. Did you do anything to over exert yourself or maybe think about anything regarding the need for more heat-did Eren steal all of the blankies?”

“No, not really. I mean I wished that I was warmer like Eren was when he helped me with my broken rib. He was like a regular oven putting off heat towards me when I was injured and I wish I knew how to mimic that.”

“Wait-maybe that does have something to do with it. Remember when we first got Eren and he couldn’t transform? He tried down that well for hours and just couldn’t do it. He finally got his arm to blow up to pick up that spoon- he found he just needed a focus to make it work. Maybe that’s what your body is doing as well- trying to fulfill your wish of being warmer to help heal Eren quicker.”

“Well, I guess that makes some sense, but who the hell knows how all of this Titan shit works. So are you telling me, my blood which has a bit of Titan in it now might cause parts of me to transform any time I decide there is a goal I need to accomplish? Because that would truly suck ass if that was the case.”

“We still have no idea how much of Eren’s powers you’ll have, Levi- especially the transformation part. I wish you could stay here so I could test just what your limits would be compared to Jaeger, but I realize we have bigger issues right now-like finding two bodies similar to both of you so we can hold a mock funeral.”  
“You don’t understand just how wrong that sounds.”

“Don’t complain, Mr. Shorty-pants. How many people can claim to live through their funerals, huh? Feeling any better- think your stomach can handle more breakfast?”  
“Fuck no! Now I feel worse than before- blowing up, funerals, doppelgangers- can this day get any better? Just leave some of the fruit here and maybe my stomach will calm down a little before lunchtime. In the meantime, just let me snuggle back up close to Eren and maybe I can transfer some of this fucking overpowering heat to the brat that needs it. Can you bring down any paperwork or anything I can do in the meantime before my fake funeral? I’ll just forge Erwin’s name or something since I can’t sign things while dead.” Hanji and I both smirk at this. “I just hope this extra heat will help the brat in the long run. He is damn lucky I am willing to sweat for him. It’s disgusting and I wouldn’t tolerate all this shit for anyone else.”

Lunchtime came and went and I had little energy or appetite due to the oppressive heat. The sheets were soaked with my perspiration ad I would have to change them before dinner. The only positive thing was that Eren actually had a tiny bit more color in his cheeks than this morning so something was working. I also noticed after dinner that his left hand would twitch slightly every so often. Not sure if he was trying to regain consciousness or just a reaction to any healing needed for that arm. The wounded flesh under the gauze was still pretty destroyed so I tried not to disturb that side too much. No telling if it would ever heal properly or not and I fell asleep thinking about how Eren might finally have some battle scars of his own.


	26. Chapter 26

I woke up in the middle of the night, shaking although I felt as if I was burning alive. I had a terrible nightmare where Eren refused to go along with faking his death. He did not want to be an outcast, not knowing when or if he’d ever get to live among his friends and sister again. While he wanted to spend his life with me, I could never be a substitute for everyone else he held dear. The dream was just a manifestation of my biggest fear other than Eren’s recovery. I wanted to be his everything as he is mine- the stupid brat had pushed aside every other priority in my life and I hadn’t even realized how deeply he was embedded until now. 

I breathed in and out slowly in an effort to calm my racing heart and also to hopefully stop generating this much heat- it was really getting uncomfortable, being as I was always more prone to be cold than sweating my balls off. The shaking soon subsided and my pulse went back to normal not long afterwards. I looked over at the comatose figure next to me to make sure I had not soaked his side of the bed with my perspiration and I noticed that not only his injured arm was twitching but it seemed his whole body would have occasional, mild convulsions. I turned up the bedside lamp slightly so I could get a better look and his cheeks were now pinker than before. Either the brat was finally warming up or maybe he was having some sort of inappropriate dream that made him blush. I reached over to touch his forehead slightly and it was definitely much warmer than before- or at least it felt that way to me, hoping my own temperature issues would not alter my senses.  
I brushed the chocolate brown locks off his forehead and smiled, knowing he was making progress. I wouldn’t mind continuing with my “heat” treatments if they seemed to be having a positive impact.

As the night wore on, I was unable to go back sleep due to damp sheets yet again, not wanting to have to disturb Eren to change them. Laying there in the semi-darkened room, I noticed Eren’s convulsions continued and increased in intensity and duration. I was really starting to get worried and Hanji and the medical staff were nowhere to be found. So when Eren started to have a full-on seizure around dawn, I freaked out, not knowing what to do other than hearing someone say something once about making sure the person doesn’t bite or swallow their tongue. Yuck- that was an unpleasant prospect. I had no intention of sticking my fingers in his mouth just in case he violently bit down. Who knew if my limited, Titan powers would allow me to actually regenerate body parts? Therefore, I did the only thing I could think of to help in this situation and straddled him across his waist, trying to keep his movements to a minimum. Guess that was easier said than done as he was like a bucking bronco. I forgot how strong the brat actually was. I figured he’d still be weak after suffering the damage he had sustained and being comatose for days but he quickly proved me wrong. Luckily I had all of my strength back and was able to restrain him somewhat. I screamed for help and I guess Hanji was in a room close by as she rushed in. 

“Levi, how could you take advantage of Eren when he is unconscious?” she cackled as she ran up to the bedside.

“You shitty glasses! Can’t you see he is having a seizure? Do something!”

“Oh my! I’ll be right back- let me get a shot set up with a muscle relaxer. That should calm him down so he doesn’t hurt himself. Just keep riding…I mean holding him down as much as possible.”

Stupid glasses. Hanji was off like a flash and back in a matter of moments it seems, furiously injecting the syringe with exaggerated force into Eren’s thigh. The result of whatever fucked up shit she had in there was immediate; I never even saw it coming. The brat bolted upright, his eyes flew open, half dilated and he let out a bloodcurdling scream. Since he had sat up with such force, I was thrown backwards off of him and the bed, landing on the hard floor with a vengeance to my ass. As I watched from my vantage point on the ground, I could see that Eren was very delusional and distant. I had no idea if this was normal or not after being out of it for a few days. Hanji did not seem to think this was supposed to be happening as she was looking at the syringe in her hand with a quizzical gaze. The brat then started to hyperventilate and this seemed to snap Hanji out of her stupor. I started to lift myself off the floor, clutching my now sore lower back and ass and Hanji asked me to go get a paper bag and a canister of oxygen while she attempted to calm the kid down with reassuring words and gestures. 

When I got back to the bedside it seemed the worse was over. Eren was still having trouble drawing deep breaths but at least he was laying back down and calmer. No more signs of the violent seizure from before. Hanji administered some oxygen and this seemed to work wonders. I took his hand in mine and looked down at him. His breathing and heart rate were back to normal, he was almost at a normal temperature at 97 degrees and there was a dark pink glow to his cheeks. His eyelids were growing heavier by the moment though and by the time Hanji slipped the oxygen mask off his face, he looked at me, smiled and said softly, “Levi, thank goodness” before his eyes shut again. I clutched his hand tighter, fear trampling my heart. I was afraid he had gone back into a coma again, but upon a few tests, Hanji confirmed he had just fallen asleep, the toll being heavy from the seizure and hyperventilating. 

I asked Hanji what the hell she had administered to the brat to have him react so violently – I was not used to being thrown around like a ragdoll and a muscle relaxer should have never caused such a reaction. Hanji assured me that she didn’t mix up the medication and could only assume his Titan physiology affected the actions of the drug and caused the opposite thing to happen. We both chucked as we realized we should have known better. Jaeger was famous for knocking convention upside down and creating his own rules. Only his body would use a relaxant as some sort of adrenaline. Regardless, the important thing was that he finally seemed to be recovering and I happily laid back down next to him and fell back to sleep myself, happier than I had been in days. 

A few hours later and I was rudely awakened by some unholy, bright light and the sounds of someone jumping around next to the bed. I barely squinted one eye open and I was assaulted by the most annoying squealing sounds that can only belong to Hanji.

“Can’t recovering patients get any fucking peace and quiet in this joint?” I moaned as I started to sit up. I then noticed that Erwin was also by the bedside sitting on the chair with his legs crossed. “So what do we owe the honor of this visit you two?”

“OOOO Levi! It’s a special day for you two!”

“What Hanji means to say Levi, is that today is the day we officially announce your death to the public. We have prepared the secret room under Hanji’s laboratory as temporary living quarters for you two. We expect it will be about three weeks for you both to make full recoveries and to prepare all of the supplies you will need to make your journey outside the walls. Armin and Hanji are still working out ideas for you two to track your route and get that info back to us so our group can find you when we are all ready to settle there with you. You’ll get to be pioneers.” Erwin gives me one of his sly smirks.

“Ha, Pioneers? We get to be outcasts. But it’s better than the alternative,” I reply and look down at Eren. “How is the brat doing this morning? Is he still just sleeping?” 

“He’s doing much better. He was awake about an hour ago and was able to actually drink some broth on his own and flex his muscles a little. His bad arm is still really sore but other than that he said he felt better- just still very exhausted. He didn’t want to wake you up and he ended up going back to sleep before you decided to awaken from your deep slumber.”

“Thank goodness. But don’t you think it’s a little too soon to move him to that room, Hanji? He just woke up last night and is clearly not quite himself yet.”

Erwin answered for her, “We can’t wait much longer. We have 2 bodies to use as doubles for you both for the funeral and they won’t last much longer. This has to look the part to fool everyone we need it to. In a few weeks when no one is thinking about either of you, there will be a huge celebration for everyone, commemorating the victory for humanity. While everyone is drunk and preoccupied, we will slip you two out of the walls through one of the underground passages with your horses and a small cart of supplies. Timing is crucial and at least Eren has regained consciousness.”

“OOOO. So after the funeral, they will do the reading of the wills. Don’t think Eren bothered to have one but did you leave anything special to me, Levi?”

“Are you fucking serious right now, shitty glasses? You are thinking about the contents of my will? Erwin, is there still time for me to change it? This crazy bitch doesn’t deserve anything,” I snickered.

I didn’t have much in the way of earthly possessions- it just wasn’t worth it in this life, never knowing if you’d live to see tomorrow. The only things that I could actually call my own were the clothes on my back and my cleaning supplies. If Hanji wanted them so badly she could have them. Hopefully someday soon, the brat and I would acquire our own treasured possessions and put them in a place we could actually consider our home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for sticking with me for the last few chapters. Now we can move forward with more Ereri action!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

So today was the day. I grudgingly left the comforting confines of the warm bed and set about my morning tasks, trying my best not to disturb Eren. I wasn’t sure when Eren would be waking back up, so I wanted to have all of my stuff ready to go to the ‘secret’ room. Not that I really had much to take with me. I asked Hanji and Erwin if they had discussed any of this with Eren when he had regained consciousness but neither had. They claimed it would be better if I explained it to the brat myself. Of course they would say that. How fucking convenient. Funny how I thought at one time that I was the most heartless bastard ever but these two were giving me quite the competition. I didn’t even get the chance to properly welcome Jaeger back to the land of the living-hug him, kiss him, chastise him for being so selfless and giving and these two expected me to go right into explaining how we would be locked away in a room for a few weeks to finish recovering. Then prepare to go out beyond the walls by ourselves and live the rest of our lives as outcasts, refugees, bums. He’d never get the recognition and praise he deserved for his sacrifices for humanity. He may not ever have a chance at a ‘normal’ life and I was the lucky person who got to look him in the eye and say all these hurtful things. I don’t have the ability to sugar-coat anything so I could only hope he would take it as well as possible and that my heart wouldn’t break in the process.

I had just finished breakfast when I sensed some movement from the bed. I ran back over there and gently embraced Eren as he was sitting up, not wanting to miss the chance again. “Eren, I’m so happy you are finally awake and healing. I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered in his ear and gently rocked him back and forth in my arms. All he had to say was one word and followed it with one of his blinding smiles, “Levi.” I could feel my tear ducts threatening to start working overtime and I had to concentrate on keeping myself from breaking down right there. I was overwhelmed with joy and relief but I also felt a hint of dread creeping in, not knowing how Eren would accept the plans I had to share with him. I had a feeling it was going to be an emotional morning. 

Hanji rushed over, forcing me to let go of Jaeger and did a final examination to make sure he was fit to be moved. Erwin hurried off to make sure the tunnel we would be taking to the safe room was unoccupied. If the Commander was going to announce our deaths today, we could not be seen by anyone except those in our inner most circle of friends. I still couldn’t believe Mr. Perfect had left it all up to me to explain everything to the brat- he knew how to avoid painful situations, having subordinates fulfill those duties. I knew that I was often guilty of the same thing- avoidance came with the territory to block out pesky feelings. But this rule of mine never applied with Eren for some reason. He had pulled me out of this emotional winter. I was just getting used to actually opening myself up to emotions again so I was totally unprepared to deal with this onerous task.

Fortunately, time was on my side, being critical to move us as soon as possible. I would at least be able to divulge the plans to Jaeger in private in the room we would be spending the next few weeks in. We were both ready to go with some assistance from Hanji. Eren still didn’t have his full strength back so we got on both side of him for support as we carried our few meager belongings with us through the underground tunnel towards the hidden room under Hanji’s lab. I totally dreaded being located directly under shitty glasses ‘torture chamber’ but could only hope she’d be doing few experiments from here on in. I knew she wanted to get her grubby hands on me for some tests, but hell would be freezing over before I allowed her to lay a finger on me. 

The walk seemed to take forever, winding through the narrow, dark and damp tunnel. It brought back memories I wasn’t expecting- never thought I would be spending anytime underground ever again. Ironic that I was plucked out of the underground by the Survey Corps and here I ended up back down here again, though far from the actual city. This time though I will have finally have my freedom.

 

When we at last arrived, Hanji took out a key she had hidden deep in a secret pocket of her jacket and unlocked the door. It opened with a loud creak and we shone the light we had with us inside. Being that there were no windows, the darkness was thick and heavy. We had to light quite a few lamps to actually get a good view of the plain, utilitarian room. There was a large bed that took up most of the space, a table with two chairs and a tiny bathroom off to the side. Gratefully, someone had cleaned up the majority of the dust already so it wouldn’t take much work on my part to get the room completely up to my stringent standards. I almost relished the chance to do a thorough cleaning- it would be good for my idle body and brain to do some physical work again having spent the majority of the last few days in bed.  
I could tell the brat was already tired from the hike over here. He may have regained consciousness but was still healing slowly. Hanji sensed this too and we maneuvered him over to the bed. She made sure we both had our medical supplies and knew Eren would need to rest up again.

“I’ll be bringing food down to you both once a day. Any more than that and I run the risk of someone bursting into my room and seeing the hatch open. If you have an emergency and need anything you can knock on the ceiling three times and I’ll come down to see what’s going on, ok? I’m sorry that they are not better accommodations but once you two lovebirds get out there in the world, I’m sure you’ll build yourselves a gorgeous love nest.“

“Uh- thanks Hanji,” the brat muttered, obviously shy and slightly confused over what Hanji had just blurted out.

“Yeah- thanks shitty glasses. Did you remember to bring my cleaning supplies over here?”

“Yep- sure did. Erwin placed them in the bathroom. Most of your clothes are here as well as a few books and odds and ends. Didn’t want to bring everything and arouse suspicion but you should have the bare essentials here. So I am off. Got some stuff to do this morning, but I am free this afternoon Levi if you want me to run some tests? Hmmm?”

“No fucking way- get out of here you crazy woman! As you damn well know, I have a bunch of things to discuss with Eren once he rests up from the trip over here.”

“OK, I’ll leave you two alone so you can have some ‘quality’ time together. Don’t forget I’ll be able to hear you two if you’re too loud,” she laughed as she climbed up the ladder and disappeared through the hatch door.

“That woman is insane, I swear. Might have to booby trap the bed in case she tries to sneak down here and try an experiment while we’re sleeping.” I turned to Eren to see what his reaction was but he had already slumped down sideways on the bed and fallen asleep again. I brushed a stray wisp of hair that was covering his right eye and just looked down at the sleeping figure in awe. How there was so much power in this beautiful person, so much to give, so much to lose. I sat down on the bed next to him and waited for him to wake up.

About an hour later, Eren stirred, seeming just to have needed a quick nap to recharge. He wasn’t as groggy as he was earlier in the morning.

“Hey sleepyhead,” I murmured as he sat up and joined me side by side on the edge of the bed. “I know you just woke up again, but a lot has happened since the day of the mission. You feel up to a quick rundown?”

He rubbed his green eyes for a moment and nodded, “Yeah, I figured I missed out on a lot when Hanji told me they had to move us quickly to a hidden location. That’s never a good thing.”

“That’s an understatement. But before I review the events of the last few days, there is something I just need to say.”

“What’s that, Heichou?”

“If you ever come close to dying, trying to save me again, I will kill you myself. I never want to have to go through almost losing you again. Do you understand me brat?” I cried and yelled at the same time, Eren’s eyes growing to the size of saucers in surprise.

“But Heichou. I can’t promise that. If you are ever in danger again, I’m sure I’ll do the same thing. There is no way I want to live if you’re not going to be there with me. I knew I’d be ok.”

“Well, this time, you almost went too far. You can’t depend on your healing abilities all of the time. They didn’t kick in this time because you gave too much blood and your body was already in a state of exhaustion. It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

“I would never leave you alone, Corporal. No matter what you need, I would make sure you had it.”

“Tch- just no more blood please. Who knows what else might happen then. I’ve already gotten some of your healing abilities and your elevated temperature.”

“What? You mean…you have…some of my Titan abilities? That’s amazing.”

“Not really amazing to me, although it does seem the extra heat helped your healing kick back in. For that I am grateful, but I swear if I ever transform, it’s not going to be pretty. It’s scary not knowing what might happen.”

“You know I would always be there to help you if anything happened. So does that mean your stab wound has healed up mostly?”

“Yep, I can’t see it since it’s on my back but I can hardly feel it anymore so I’m sure it’s all but gone. Hmmmph.”

The next thing I know, the brat hurled himself at me, holding me tightly in a bruising hug. “I would have given you a hug earlier but I was afraid to hurt you. I was so relieved that you were ok. Now that you’re healed I can hold you tightly again– I never want to let you go, Levi.”

“Stupid brat, I never want to let you go either. You don’t know how worried I was seeing you so pale and feeling how cold you had gotten. My old heart just can’t take it.”

The green eyed jerk only laughed at me. “Haha. Now that you have my healing powers, you can take a whole lot more.”

“Don’t push it, shitty brat. Now, let’s get this nasty business over with and explain why we are in this dark, dismal room.”

“Ok, I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied as we broke the embrace and sat there facing each other.

“So basically, to make it a short story, I killed one of those thugs and you killed Gisel and the other assailant. Seems the military police found out that we did it, and they were especially concerned about the gruesomeness of what you did to Gisel as a human. He was the son of some rich fucking family and they demanded a trial for his killer. No one cared you had just helped guarantee freedom for humanity and no matter that you were being assaulted by three men, the powers that be still see you as a threat and want to find a loophole to have you executed. Somehow, someone saw us together somewhere and they will also try to have me killed as well or at the very least discredited from testifying for you since we are lovers.”

“How could they ever try to go after us? It was self defense! I know I sort of lost it when Gisel stabbed you but I couldn’t help myself. I was so angry and scared he might have killed you. Something in me snapped and I just tore him apart.”

“Do you remember anything after that, Eren?”

“Not much, I recall picking you up and running back to the Walls. You needed medical assistance right away and that’s all I could concentrate on. I remember arguing with Hanji to take my blood to help you. She didn’t want to do it at first but she finally agreed. I’m glad she did- you wouldn’t be here most likely. After that, it’s all blank up until yesterday when I woke up briefly.”

“Well, since there is a good chance you and I wouldn’t fare well at a trial, Erwin states that he had already told the military police that we were both seriously injured and may not survive anyway. They sent someone to see that we were both unconscious to collaborate the claim. So it would not be a surprise if we both succumbed to our injuries. Erwin has planned to hold a fake funeral for us both while we finish recovering here for a few weeks. Then we will need to sneak out of the Walls and head to a place far from everyone where we will need to live in exile. Hanji and Armin are supposedly working on a way for us to map out the route we take so they can eventually join us. They figure we’d be far enough away from most of the places people would be safe settling in and if they do eventually make it as far as we do, very few will remember us. It’s a very shitty situation and there’s no guarantee when the others will be joining us- we could be alone for years depending on how long it takes to finish annihilating the rest of the Titans. It’ll be dangerous and once our initial supplies are gone, we’ll be fending for ourselves completely.”

“So we’ll get to find a place of our own, and get to hunt and fish and plant crops and live together, alone?”

“Until your friends can join us, at least.”

“Wow, Heichou, that sounds amazing! We’ll be the first ones to enjoy freedom. Maybe we’ll even get to find a nice place near the ocean if it’s not too far. I want to see the ocean with you!”

“You don’t seem to be very upset about this, brat. You realize that we’ll be in exile-outcasts who won’t get any recognition for all we did?”

“I know that, but our friends don’t feel that way and I never wanted to be Humanity’s Hope for the acknowledgment or praise. I just wanted to inspire everyone to work towards the freedom we all deserved. And now that has been done, I don’t need to be Humanity’s Hope anymore.”

“That’s right, but you’ll always be my greatest hope. My hope for many happy tomorrows together.”

“Always.”  
“You seem to be taking this amazingly well for a shitty brat.”

“That’s because I have Humanity’s Strongest by my side to give me strength.”

“Cheeky bastard,” I smirked as I pulled him close and kissed his sweet, warm lips until we were both breathless, leaving behind all of the pain and worry from the last few days behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, hooray for some happiness for these two! Thanks for reading as always. The kudos and comments are very much appreciated.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The next two days were relatively harsh for Eren. He was still recovering at a slower pace than he was used to and this wore him out anytime he exerted himself in the least bit. He and I both wanted to do some limited training to keep our strength up for the upcoming trip but it was difficult when Eren’s left arm was still badly damaged. We did a lot of calisthenics and some minimal sparring since we had neither the space nor the energy just yet for such a thing. Luckily, if we ran into Titans on our journey, which was all but inevitable, we would have our guns loaded with the formula canisters with us. We just needed to be able to move out of the way quickly and keep our aim perfected. Hanji set up some targets within the tunnel that led to our secret room and we practiced there. 

The days were definitely growing warmer as spring was in full bloom. Of course, having this foreign Titan blood elevating my temperature didn’t help. I didn’t know how the shitty brat could stand the feeling of burning up almost all of the time. I hated being cold, but I despised perspiration even more. The room we were stuck in had only the barest of essentials so there were limited solutions to getting cleaned up every day. There was no tub or shower, but thank goodness, there was warm running water and Hanji had provided two bathing stools and buckets to get the worst of the grime off. I failed to calculate in our extra sweating potential in the heat and we needed to bathe frequently to keep fresh. Too bad it was still difficult for Eren to get clean by this method without a shower since his left arm was still very much weakened. 

So, on the third day, I couldn’t stand it anymore. The kid started to smell ripe and it was disgusting and unavoidable being in such close quarters together.

“Jaeger, don’t you know how to properly give yourself a bath without a tub or shower?”

“Eh? I’m sorry Corporal! Do I still smell? I got a sponge bath yesterday but I can’t do a thorough job with my arm still hurting so much.”

“First of all, there is no need to call me Corporal anymore. We are dead, right? So rank doesn’t really matter at this point. That, and I think you’ve earned the right to be considered my equal, having almost died for real for me. My name is Levi, so you should just use my name from now on.”

“Yes sir, Levi. Are you still going to call me ‘shitty brat’ sometimes? I don’t know why but I’ve come to enjoy the sound of that when you say it.”

“Really, Eren, sometimes you are too much. Anyway, secondly, if you needed help getting clean because of your arm you should have just asked me to help you.”

“But that’s just too embarrassing! A grown man should not need help with a sponge bath. It’ll make me feel like some baby or an old man.”

“Stupid brat, so you’d rather stink worse than the horse stables? And don’t even tell me you’re embarrassed to be naked in front of me. While you were in the coma, Hanji and I both made sure to cleanse you down every day. You have nothing to be self-conscious of, you know.”

“What, you mean the two of you….saw everything? I mean, I know you’ve seen me nude before, but Hanji too? My body is nothing compared to yours anyway; you’re built like a god.”

“Ha- I don’t know about that. All full of pale scars and marks- you’re still young and flawless, except for your arm which I’m sure will heal at one point. So hurry up and strip. I’ll go get everything ready so we can bathe. I just washed up this morning and I already need another bath thanks to this fucking heat.”

I walked over to the small bathroom and set out the two wooden stools and filled the buckets with warm water. I got out my favorite lavender soap, some towels and the sponges and set them next to the stools. I removed my damp, sweaty clothes and set them off to the side, needing to wash them later. I got out some fresh clothes for both myself and Eren and set them aside to change back into after the bath. I would need to be sure to pack lots of changes of clothes when we left. I sure as hell wasn’t much good at sewing. I could do some basic mending but there would be no one around to make new clothes if we needed them. I sat down on my stool and waited for Eren to join me.

“Oi brat! Hurry up, the water will get cold if you wait too much longer.”

“I’m here,” he said as he entered the room, my back facing him. He walked up behind me and placed a hand on the back of my shoulder. “Your wounds are all gone. That’s amazing. I saw how bad they were when I brought you back and they were stitching you up. One of the gashes was extremely deep and now there is no sign that you were ever stabbed.” I could feel him trace patterns along my back as he bent down to get a closer look, the whisper of his warm breath on my neck. “Your old scars are still there but I guess anything from now on will heal like me. No one will be able to try to take you away from me again, Levi. You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

“Tch- as if anyone would have ever succeeded anyway. Now come around here and sit down so I can get you sparkling and smelling nice.”

He removed his warm hand from my back and sat down on the stool next to mine, facing me. I dunked the sponge into the water and lathered it up with the bar of soap. Starting from top to bottom, I suds up the kid everywhere except his left arm. I put the sponge back into the bucket and I gently touched that arm. It is actually cool to the touch quite unlike the rest of him that is always set to a burning temperature. I wondered if I would ever get that balmy myself- I was hoping it wouldn’t get worse than it already was.

“Does it still really pain you? It’s healing but so slowly. We can get Hanji to give you more pain medicine.”

“I didn’t want to keep taking the pain meds since they make me so groggy. I want to be able to get back most of my strength before we start our journey. My arm may never fully heal according to one of the medics. Oh and Hanji told me yesterday we may need to travel about two weeks out from the Walls. That will be a long and difficult trip so I will be sure to be fully prepared. You know we probably won’t be able to take proper baths during the trip. Is that going to be a problem for you?”  
“When it comes to keeping clean, I have learned methods to keep sanitary while traveling but of course, I realize we won’t be able to do much without proper facilities. At least it’s not winter and we’d be freezing our asses off.”

“That would be a tragedy, since you have such a nice ass.”

“Don’t get sassy with me, brat. Here, since you’re here, you can scrub my back for me.”

“Yes sir!”

I turned around on the stool and Eren scooted closed to me. He dipped the sponge in the water, which was already growing tepid, and started to lather up my back with the lavender-scented suds.

“Do you think your arm will be good enough to use the maneuver gear if we need to?” I asked as he continued washing my back.

“I don’t see why not. I am right-handed thank goodness so I shouldn’t have any issues except maybe handling blades with my left one. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to get all of my strength back to protect you properly this time. I’ve been thinking about that a lot the last few days how I could have lost you. It’s not fair that you are always saving me. I was lax but I’ll work out more, get stronger, faster, and more cunning and I swear no one will get near you to hurt you ever again. From now on, I vow to be your protection from the rain in the spring. I’ll be a cool, refreshing breeze for you in the summer. I’ll be the comforting smells and bright light of the harvest moon for you in the autumn and I’ll be the blazing fire to keep you warm in the winter. You won’t need anything but me, just like you are everything I could ever want.”  
“So did coming close to near-death and scaring the shit out of me suddenly make you a poet of beautiful, sentimental words?” I asked as I leaned back into him and turned my head around to gently kiss his sweet lips. Eren reciprocated matching my movements and creating some new ones of his own with his tongue. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close, popping some of the soap bubbles we were still covered with. As our kisses became more heated, I turned round on the stool to face him so I could gaze into Eren’s lovely green orbs. The fire I saw there matched what I felt coursing through my veins.

I’ve never experienced such desire for someone with all of my senses as I did in that moment- the slight coarseness of the sponge he was still holding against my lower back, the tingling of bubbles bursting against our skin where it touched, the smell of my favorite soap mixed with Eren’s distinct fragrance- wanted to nibble on the fleshy part of his neck under his ear and suck on his sumptuous lips sweeter than summer strawberries. I longed to hear him moan my name in pleasure and see his eyes glaze over in pure ecstasy. All five senses combined to concoct the headiest intoxication I had ever felt as I took in all that was Eren.

My hands started moving of their own accord and found themselves reaching around our growing arousals. We bucked up closer together so we had the friction of my hands as well as the movement of our hips causing waves of pleasure and bliss as we continued to kiss each other senseless. At some point Eren dropped the sponge and his right hand joined mine, fitting perfectly around, urging us to speed up the pace of the movements up and down on our cocks. No matter how warm my hands seemed to get now, Eren’s was always warmer and the heat and friction he was adding to my own moved us closer and closer to our climaxes. We stopped kissing for a few moments to get our breath back and I only managed to lose it again when I looked at the brat’s face, sultry and sensuous, flushed with passion, eyes wide and ablaze, his mouth making the most naughty of noises now that it was unoccupied by my lips. It only took one loud and lewd moan of my name and I felt myself shuddering and releasing all over between us, my own moans echoing through the small room. I was so caught up in my own overwhelming sensations that I barely realized that Eren had also reached his peak and was now panting as the last drop spilled from him. We both instinctively wrapped our arms around each other, giving each other a few moments to recover from the sensory overload we just experienced.

Afterwards, that sticky feeling was just too much to endure anymore and I reached for one of the buckets of water nearby to rinse us off. We were so heated up from our lustful activities that the water seemed that much colder against our burning skin.

“Fuck- that’s cold!” I yelled as Jaeger grimaced and shivered at the offensive bucket of water pouring over us. “Shit!” I yelled when I realized that we would need the second bucket to get fully rinsed off.

“Next time Levi, we make sure to get the water really hot before we start anything,” he laughed as the second bucket doused us in frigid liquid.

“I’ll make sure we keep a big pot on the fire at all times, just in case.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he agreed as I handed him his towel and we both got dried off and into our fresh clothes. It had never felt so good getting clean before as we both smiled at each other tidying up the bathing area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed- I just love tender moments between these two. I have a few more chapters planned for this story; not sure of the exact amount but we are getting towards the end of this tale. I do have a sequel planned though since I think there are a few adventures left in this arc. In the meantime, I just posted another Levi/Eren story but it's an AU set in modern times, which is much easier to write. It's hard when you don't really know a whole lot about the technology and customs and such in the canon era. So I would be super pleased if any readers want to check that one out as well. I won't update that one as frequently as it's only fair I focus on this story until it is finished but I will update as often as possible.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The next two weeks dragged by. I never realized that being confined in such a small space could be so stifling. I never considered myself to be claustrophobic but I began to have my doubts. My roommate wasn’t fairing any better without a proper outlet for all of his youthful energy. We tried our best to combat this by exercising rigorously every day and before long we were actually stronger than ever before since we didn’t have much of anything else to do. Thank goodness my body temperature seemed to finally calm down as well. Maybe because Eren had all but fully recovered and I didn’t need to emit that excess heat for his sake anymore. His left arm didn’t hurt much anymore and he only had some faint scarring. The brat had even seemed to grow another fucking inch or two to add insult to injury. If I was going to have some Titan qualities would it have been too much to ask for to add a few damn inches to my height? I guess if I ever do discover that I can shift, I’ll be taller then but I would rather live in a pigsty before I ever attempted to see if I am capable of this feat.

It was just so difficult to live with that restless feeling, we had been fighting, practicing, surviving for so long that it was quite an adjustment when your purpose in life was taken away. We both missed the feeling of soaring along with our maneuver gear in the fresh air but we would soon have plenty of wide open spaces to contend with. I know I couldn’t wait to be able to travel, hunt, fish and set up a new house. Eren and I would create a new purpose for ourselves- to be happy and prosperous.  
When possible, Erwin, Hanji, Mikasa and Armin visited the hidden room and went over numerous strategies for getting to a suitable place to relocate to. We endlessly reviewed any maps they happened to find, although most were vague and incomplete at best. As much as Eren wanted to see the ocean, we all decided a good place to settle down would be close to clean running water and open fields for crops and a few trees for shade and maybe additional fruit. We couldn’t be selfish and find a location for just us two; eventually, we hoped that with the others we would have a nice self-maintaining community. Once this was in place, I promised Eren we would make that trip to the ocean for a well-deserved vacation.

As for the journey there, Armin also seemed to think that there would still be remnants of buildings from before humanity was locked behind the walls. We might actually be able to find some useful items along the way since we would only be taking the barest of essentials with us. Some changes of clothes, some foodstuffs, seeds so we could grow some crops, a few tools, water containers, ribbon to mark some trees with the trail we took in case the map didn’t make it back and of course our weapons. Jean and Sasha were keeping busy with training two hawks that would be used to relay messages from us to the rest of the squad. I hoped they might also be useful to assist with some hunting but knowing horseface and potato girl, they wouldn’t think to teach those tricks to the birds. The most important task of these of course was to convey the map of where Eren and I end up at so they can join us in the future. But at least with the ribbon trail, everyone would be able to follow the general direction we took in case the hawks didn’t make it back. Any remaining Titans shouldn’t bother the birds but you never knew what might happen. We planned to eliminate any we saw on the journey so the more we exterminated now, the sooner the others could join us. I would be perfectly content spending the rest of my days with only Eren for company but I knew he would need to be reunited with his friends and family at some point. I would take advantage of the peace and quiet while it lasted though- it would also be wonderful to have our privacy for a while so the two of us could expand our physical relationship without worrying about others. Hanji especially. I’m sure she would demand to run some experiments about mating rituals of Titan shifters or some other shit like that. 

At least I have a good few months without Hanji and her constant pestering. It was bad enough that she snuck down early one morning before we woke up and scratched the hell out of our arms so she could see how fast our healing powers had become. Thank goodness, Eren’s finally decided to kick back in at full speed and the marks faded in less than two minutes. He was barely roused from his deep sleep from the pain but then rolled back over and was out almost immediately. Unlike me, who woke up fully, cursing and kicking at the demon of a scientist next to me who thought it was hysterically funny to wake someone up this way. My wounds also disappeared within two minutes so it seemed like the healing factor for both of us had normalized. I knew this was important information to know, especially to be certain that the brat hadn’t exhausted that power, but damn, she could have been more tactful in her methods.

She continued to beleaguer me before we left to see if I ever felt as if I would be able to shift. I told her that since I have mastered the art of patience that I don’t get into blind rages that would prompt me to change into the hulking form of a Titan and hoped I never would. It was nice knowing that the healing factor would be beneficial in case of injury or sickness when the two of us were alone and without real medical care, but I couldn’t envision a need to ever need to go into Titan mode anyway. Who knows if I’d even be able to keep my head about me and might endanger Eren. I knew how long it took him to get full control and while I was confident I would figure it out eventually, if the situation ever presented itself, I could not risk injury to either of us when we would be alone. Hanji provided us both with advanced first aid lessons and how to find herbs and plants in the outside world that might be of assistance in case we got sick. But if we had serious injuries and something happened with the healing factor again, neither of us would be able to do much for the other.

So our days went by with these few distractions but our evenings were pretty much the same each time. Hanji would sneak some food down to us and we would help each other get bathed. Ever since that one day when we scrubbed each other down, we had taken to assisting each other to get clean. I was always perfectly capable of handling this on my own and grown men shouldn’t need to help each other with their hygiene but it became the perfect way to end the monotonous day. We slowly grew more comfortable being around each other all day long and then getting to know each other intimately at night. Sometimes, it was just a quick scrub down that led to quiet cuddling sessions. Other times, we experienced frenzied, passionate soaping and groping. We soon discovered each other’s most sensitive spots, tracing and memorizing each muscle, soothing each scar and creating new temporary marks as we traveled along our bodies. Eren didn’t seem to get as flustered as he used to but fortunately his face still showed signs of blushing when he started to get heated up. I don’t think I would ever tire of seeing him like that and hope it never stopped. 

As close and at ease we had become and as ecstatic and satiated we were, we both knew there was something further we wanted to explore. I had wanted to make sure Eren was fully healed and he wanted to ensure he would be fully prepared not wanting to be a complete novice when we took that last step. I have wanted to claim him fully as my own and mark him as eternally mine for what seemed like a millennia but I didn’t want to rush into it either. Before we knew it, the evening before we were to head out on our journey arrived and we both were cognizant of this being the last night we would have access to an actual bed for an undetermined amount of time. 

Hanji and Erwin had prepared a special meal, complete with meat and wine for us as a send-off gift. We would be roughing it for a while, so it was a welcome indulgence. It was extremely cramped having all of Eren’s friends plus Hanji and Erwin in that little room we had been forced to hide in for weeks, but no one seemed to care. Everyone was abuzz with excitement and anxiety. We would be pioneers, starting a new life in a free world. No one was naïve enough to believe it would be an easy road but we all agreed that together, Eren and I would be successful and once settled in, we would be truly happy.

After dinner, everyone left in what seemed like pairs, Erwin and Hanji, Jean and Mikasa, Sasha and Connie and Krista and Armin. I wanted to be sure that we both got a good night’s sleep as we’d be setting out before dawn so we could slip out from the Walls before anyone was awake except the night guards who happened to be Jean and Connie. 

Eren and I had our normal bath time, innocent lathering and rinsing tonight. As we were drying off, I took Eren into my arms, looking up at his teal eyes. 

“I know I am horrible with words and I am shitty with coming up with sappy, romantic phrases. I am much better at doing than telling so let me show you what you mean to me and how I want to be yours and I want all of you to be all mine tonight and always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Can't wait for the next chapter- finally after 30 chapters, the two do the thing. I might even be able to get it posted for Valentine's Day since that will be very appropriate. I am working on a specific fic for the holiday so I can't promise anything. I will try my best though. As always, I am so grateful for those who have stuck with this story. Thanks so much and hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

I pulled Eren down to me slightly as I lifted up on my toes, just until our lips barely touched. I savored the feeling of his body in my arms- the warmth he exuded, the raw strength in his muscles, the sweetness of his lips. It felt as if time had stopped and we were both hanging in suspended animation- not that I was complaining one bit. I wanted this night to last forever- that perfect moment in time where we held onto each other, kissing softly- no rush, no anxiety, no fear. Just that undeniable feeling that this is what we were meant to do, who we were destined to be for, how it felt to be utterly comfortable and confident that this is right on all levels.

After what felt like hours, we broke the kiss just long enough to make it over to the bed. Eren and I both sat on the edge and gazed deep into each others eyes. I took his hands in mine, mesmerized by the beauty of the man before me. I had wanted to claim him for so long and now I was filled with such awe and joy at being on the threshold of being able to finally join ourselves as one. I felt a tiny single tear drop form and travel down my face to my chin, caught halfway by Eren’s fingers. 

“What’s wrong Heichou?” he looked at me with slight concern.

“I’m not sure where that tear came from- nothing is wrong. I’m just so overwhelmed by happiness right now. When I think that I almost lost you. Wasn’t sure if you’d ever wake up. But I would have waited forever for you to return to me, sitting right by your side the entire time. There was never anyone as special before you and there will never be anyone else for me ever again. Promise me you’ll always stay by my side, Eren Jaeger.”

“Levi, I'll never be far from you. In a million lifetimes, I would always seek you out and choose you as my own over and over again. There is no force in this world that would be able to keep us apart.”

No one has ever been able to rip my heart open and fill it back up so wholly, undo me from the inside out, as this brat has done. I feel more tears threaten to fall at the sentiments he expressed, but he captured my lips again before they have the opportunity to be shed. While our kisses were slow and sweet before, now they were needy, hot and desperate. Our hands no longer satisfied with just linking with each other, now they were searching out all of our sensitive spots, lighting tiny fires as they touched all over, exploring and pleasing as they went. Soon I found that our mouths wanted to join in on the fun our hands were having as we moved from our lips to our necks. Licking and biting up to his ear, I made tiny marks as I went, breathing slightly over the trail I had made. I could feel his body tense up as he arched slightly, forcing his midsection towards me and gasping slightly. I wanted to see more of this. Hear more of this. I continued to nibble on his ear then back down his neck and onto his shoulder where I placed a considerable bite to the taut skin there. I was rewarded with a larger arch and an whimper of pleasure from his sweet mouth. I could feel that the both of us were getting pretty heated as the hardness between us was getting much more pronounced by the moment. 

I took this as our cue to move to a new position as I coaxed Eren to scoot up and lay down on the bed. I hovered over top of him and couldn’t resist the draw of his luscious mouth, reaching down to steal a kiss before beginning my journey down to his chest. Lathing my tongue over each of his nipples, teasing and prodding with my tongue as he cried out, “Levi! So good.”

“Tch, I haven’t even really begun to touch you yet Eren. I promise it will get much better.”

He looked at me with those cerulean eyes and I just wanted to melt right there. He knew what he was doing to me as he reached up and grabbed me by the ass cheeks and pulled me back up for a kiss. 

“Sorry, Heichou. I missed your taste,” he said with a mischievous smile.

“Oh. Maybe I missed your taste too.” Two could play at this game as I backed up and took his entire length into my mouth is one quick movement. 

“Levi! Not fair! Unnng.” 

“What’s that about fair, brat?” I teased when I came up for air after licking him up and down for a few moments. I didn’t want to get him too close at this point- there was still plenty more to experience. I sat up and straddled him around his waist, our two erections brushing up against one another- the friction feeling amazing. Eren must have thought so too as he began to buck up his hips slightly to rut against me. We continued like this for a few moments, getting more frantic as we went- his face alight with passion and pleasure. I could have stared at him all night like this but a sudden wave of heat in my groin reminded me that we couldn’t finish just yet. I could tell Eren was getting close too from his ragged breath and more forceful rutting.

I rolled over to his side, breaking the contact our midsections had just had and wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him gently to hopefully cool each other down just slightly. I then reached over to the tiny table next to the bed and grabbed the small pot of oil I had placed there earlier in the evening. “Are you ready, Eren?” I wanted to be 100 percent certain he was still ok with this before we proceeded. I felt that the time was right for the both of us but I needed to hear it from him directly.

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” he answered and confirmed it with a kiss to my hand. 

“Eren, you are my everything- I would never do anything to hurt you. This may be uncomfortable at first, but it will get better, I promise."

“I trust you with my life, my love, my soul, Levi. We’ve both been waiting for this for a long time.”

“All of our lives,” I replied as I coated a few fingers with the oil.

I positioned myself at the foot of the bed and lifted Eren’s legs up slightly nudging them apart as I went. Eren took the initiative the rest of the way and was soon spread out deliciously before me. I took my index finger and swirled it gently around his entrance, making sure it was well coated in oil before I proceeded. I then slowing moved forward with the tip of my finger, pushing just beyond the ring of muscle there. Like every other part of Eren, it was extremely warm and strong. When I could sense him relaxing, I probed forward gently and then back and forth in and out a few times before adding a second finger. I was then able to scissor back and forth, stretching him as much as I could. I then added a third slick finger and began a search for Eren’s sweet spot. I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where it was so I could be sure to hit it over and over once I was fully sheathed inside of him. After a few times of readjusting the angle of my middle finger, I was able to find it and Eren thrashed upward and moaned loudly.

“Heichou?” he sputtered out when the wave of pleasure subsided.

“See, I told you it would get better and that was just with my fingers. Wait until I am fully buried inside of you.”

“Please Levi. I can’t take much more. I need you.”

I couldn’t possibly resist such a request. “I need you too, brat” I removed my fingers and wiped them on a towel that I had laid on the side of the bed. I took the pot of oil again and covered my cock generously before pressing the tip to his entrance. I think I could have stretched him all night long and he still would have been just as tight. I could see him grimace slightly as I made my way inside as carefully as possible, until I was buried to the hilt. I gave the both of us some time to adjust- him to the fullness and me to the extreme heat and constriction. I didn’t need to ask if he was ready as the brat decided to show me instead by bucking his hips, forcing me to move. I rocked back and forth, pulling back as far as I could before plunging back in. 

It felt so incredible to be connected with each other like this; I threw my head back as all sorts of lewd sounds fell from my lips at the pleasure I was feeling. I soon concentrated back on my lover and began to strike that spot inside of him to make him come undone as he had already done to me. Now it was Eren’s turn to moan and try to form words uselessly as his body reacted to each plunge of my length. The sounds he made were amazing, spurring me on, closer and closer to my climax. I couldn’t hold out much longer, all of my senses on fire. I wanted Eren to finish with me as well, so I reached down and stroked him in time with my thrusts.   
Before long, I could feel the pressure on my cock increase and Eren announced, “Levi… gonna c - um.”

“Cum for me, Eren. Send me over the edge too,” I parried knowing I was on the precipice as well.

Soon, we were both experiencing blinding white explosions and warm, flowing liquid as he came all over my hand and his stomach, his face so beautiful I would have thought he was an angel. I filled him up more and more with each of the convulsions he made, until finally, we had both peaked and started our descent back to reality.

Somehow, we both managed to get cleaned up in record time and were snuggling up together before I knew it. I knew sleep would not be a problem for either of us tonight. We had an early wakeup call in the morning so we could start our journey. But for tonight, nothing else mattered but one thing. I was his and he was mine, perfectly and totally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Sorry I didn't make this in time for Valentine's Day but I wanted it to be just right. A lot of emotion and just enough smut. It's not perfect but hoping everyone enjoys it. Thanks to all of my readers for their continued support!


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

After a few hours of the most deep, blissful sleep I had experienced since I was a young child, I was awakened by the knock from Hanji signaling it was time to get up and get ready for our journey. I gently nudged the sleeping figure next to me, the angelic face turning into a quick yawn. I was afraid he might be a little sore this morning; however, that fear was unfounded. He jumped up and to the ready before me. Maybe I was rubbing off on him. Remembering back to when all of this first started and he was such a deep sleeper. Now, he was almost as light a sleeper as me. Maybe it was just another testament that he had fully left his youth behind, leaving this wonderful, mature man in his place. 

Despite, still basking in the afterglow of our evening, we quickly got dressed, had a light breakfast and headed out the tunnel to 2 waiting horses and a small cart. Everything was already packed with our supplies and few meager belonging that we would be taking with us. Some blankets, a change of clothing each, fresh water containers, ribbon to mark the tree path, the blank map, food supplies, basic tools, lots of seed packets, our gear and weapons of course. To say that we were packing lightly would be an understatement. The two hawks in their cages took up a large portion of the space in the cart so when we looked at what we would be living off of for an indefinite amount of time, it was intimidating to say the least. We would assuredly need to live off the land to survive to our destination, hoping that our hunting, fishing and gardening skills would be up to snuff. We also had to hope to find other resources along the way, such as abandoned houses from before the days of the Walls. We would be travelling for a few weeks at least to get to a suitable site so every little bit helped. 

After being cramped in such tiny quarters for weeks, I could honestly say I was looking forward to some time in the great, wide outdoors. I couldn’t wait to experience the warm sun drenching us in its rays and the fresh smells of flowers and trees drifting along on the back of the winds. It was still dark right now but soon, the sun would rise. We had to be away from here and past the walls shortly before the military police and other early risers started making their rounds. Hanji, Erwin, Mikasa and Armin met us to send us on our way. After a few hugs and promises to meet back up as soon as possible, we headed out. As we passed through the Wall, Jean and Connie waved down to us from their guard post. They closed the gate behind us and soon, as we travelled, the Wall was no longer visible. Eren was in charge of the map, as I was more experienced at guiding the horses and cart and he was better at directions. I just didn’t have the patience for the tiny details needed on the map that would ensure the rest of the group could find us later on. 

Soon, the sun was high in the sky and it was starting to warm up a lot. Summer was determined to come early this year. We would have to get to our destination soon to be able to get the crops started in time. While the heat was a welcome contrast from the dank, damp room, we had just come from, we’d have to be extra careful with our water supply. Eren and I discussed how to ration out everything we had brought with us and determined how often we would need to hunt and / or search for edible plants and fruits. Seems, the brat was good about identifying vegetation as he used to wander a lot as a child and his father had taught him much about which plants were safe to eat or could be used for medicine and others to steer clear of. It was invaluable information to have and after a particularly amusing story of a young Eren being covered in an itchy rash for a week after a nasty fall into a huge patch of Poison Ivy, we were ready for our first quick break. 

We had a hasty lunch of crusty bread, some cheese and just a little water. I was trying to follow along a stream for most of the journey if possible so we could refill our canteens often but currently that path was blocked in some places. After eating, we continued on, making small talk about the trees and small animals we saw. It was all too easy to be distracted by nature when no one had really had the freedom to explore in far too long. We also had to be vigilant in listening and looking out for signs of any Titans. While we had definitely taken out the vast majority of the ones close by to the Walls, there was bound to be some still wandering around that we would have to take care of with either the formula or our gear as a last resort.

Seemed that luck was on our side that first day, as the sun began to set without a single Titan encounter. Right before the final rays had disappeared, Eren called out excitedly, “Heichou, look at that over by the trees.”

I followed Jaeger’s line of sight and found a tiny, abandoned, stone house. We had both been wondering if we would come across something like this. Armin had mentioned we were bound to find some old buildings, unused crop fields and other signs here and there to prove that Humanity had once had a life outside of the Walls. It was almost time to make camp for the evening anyway and if this place proved uninhabited, it would make a nice, secure place to settle in for the night. I took one of the pistols out of my belt holster and walked inside the building while I had Eren do the same around the outer perimeter. The place was definitely unoccupied except for a few birds’ nests in the rafters and Eren confirmed the coast was clear on the outside, as well. He had tied up the horses to a hitching post outside the rear of the house and had given them some food and water already. 

He soon joined me inside where I was setting up our sleeping gear for the night. “Looks like whoever was here took most of their belongings with them when they left.”

“Yeah. Most common folks probably didn’t own much to begin with. This is a minuscule place, probably only one or two people lived here.” There was a table and two chairs in the main room of the house, a wood burning stove in the kitchen and one chest of drawers that was empty in the bedroom. “Whoever lived here before obviously had a chance to pack up their things before they left.”

“I can’t imagine how that must have been, leaving your home and freedom behind to live trapped within the Walls. We never knew what the outside world was like except for what a few forbidden books showed, so it wasn’t a big deal for most of us. For those first few people, it must have been torture, knowing what it was like being here in the wide world. I know it’s only been one day, Heichou, but it’s so liberating to be traveling like this with you, seeing the outside for the first time in all its glory.” He sat down next to me on our bedding and I held him close to me, his excitement and happiness was infectious and I wanted to catch a little of it.

“It is amazing, Eren and I’m sure there is still lots more to see.”

“ I can’t wait to see more and more.”

“Patience brat. It’s only our first day and it’s been a long one thanks to our extra early start. Let’s get some sleep. Don’t forget to keep your pistol close by.”

“I have it right here. Don’t worry. Good night, Levi.” He said softly as he pulled me closer for a kiss. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the sweetness of our lips dancing with each other.

“Good night Eren. I love you.”

“Love you too,” I could get used to hearing this every night right before falling asleep, even if it’s in some old, abandoned house in the middle of nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So their little journey has begun. Thanks so much for continuing to read on!


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I woke up the next morning with a sneeze, not having a chance to do a thorough dusting of the old house before turning in for the evening. I hated being in filth but thankfully, since the windows had been left open when the previous occupants left, the home was somewhat dusty but not stale and rank. I felt badly that my sneeze startled Eren but it was time to get up anyway. 

The night before I had discovered that there was a water pump in the kitchen and luckily, the well on this property was still viable. So I was able to pump in some clean water after clearing the muck out of it first. The water was far from being warm but it was sufficient for a quick wash before we got dressed. We had a very modest breakfast of an apple each and some water before heading out back to the horses. We would really need to ration out every little thing we eat or we’d never have enough. I carefully packed our sleeping gear back up into the cart after shaking as much dust from them as I could while Eren hitched the horses back to the cart. The sun was just starting to peek out from behind thick clouds so the temperature was still cool. Now was the best time of the day to cover as much ground as possible before it got too hot. 

As we travelled, it was becoming more eerie as we passed by a few more empty homes or what was once possibly a business or two. Abandoned and quiet. We could only reflect on what this had been like with people thriving, children playing, farm animals lowing in the distant fields. A community that was free to live without the ever present looming Walls and constant threat of being hunted. It was a ghost town of sorts and we tried to be as respectful as possible to the memories of what this once was. We didn’t have time to search through every one of the structures but when we stopped by a cluster of homes at lunchtime, we took the break to scour through some of the more promising looking ones. We managed to get some candles, some firewood already cut up and dry and some grain and hay that could still be used to feed the horses. 

We continued on our way. I was able to stay close to the stream at this point, which turned out to be a blessing by the end of the day. It had grown uncomfortably hot in the late afternoon and both the horses and we enjoyed the refreshing cool water. We managed to catch a few fish so Eren cleaned them while I started a small cooking fire. Where we had stopped for the evening was a lovely spot with some cover from trees on the left on the other side of the stream and lush warm grass on the other side. It’s a shame it was still far too close to the Walls for us to make this place our home, as it was a perfect spot for all practical and aesthetic purposes. . We would definitely have to travel much further to eliminate any chance of being discovered we were still alive once others started braving the outside world. I would be fully prepared to fight for both of our lives but would prefer to not ever have to face an angry mob out for blood. After years of carnage, fear and uncertainty, I just wanted to enjoy the rest of our lives in peace. I think anyone who had served and fought for mankind deserved at least that much from society. Who knows how the rich bureaucracy will handle things once all Titans are confirmed eliminated. Will there still be a king, a governor? I didn’t give a fuck. I just wanted to live my life without violence, bullshit and heavy taxes. Eren and I knew we would have to work hard to provide everything we needed but that was fine with us.

So our second day on the road was coming to a close. We had eaten well on fish and a little bit of bread. We had plenty of fresh, cool water to drink and we had managed another Titan-free day. We were both in high spirits as I laid our blankets on the soft grass and Eren secured the horses for the evening. It almost seemed surreal as we both laid there by the stream on our backs, hands intertwined as we gazed up at the moon and stars. It was so tranquil with just the sounds of a few insects and the gentle, running water as the stars twinkled like tiny crystals set against ebony velvet. We didn’t need to say a word to each other, our mutual happiness and contentment were so clear in our eyes when we gazed at each other. I’m not sure when either of us drifted off, but it seemed like time flashed by in an instant and the first few rays of dawn were greeting us as we woke up, entangled in each other’s arms, our sleeping forms having sought out comfort from the other unconsciously. The horses neighed impatiently looking for breakfast and to get back to our journey. The brat and I snapped to it and got underway again.

Thank goodness the morning was still slightly cool as we pushed through as far as possible, not even stopping for lunch since we had eaten well the night before. Once the oppressive heat of late afternoon was upon us, neither we nor the horses wanted to go much further. Shortly after we had stopped for some water, we felt the ground give away just slightly with a tremble. Eren and I looked at each other and knew that meant one of two things, either an earthquake or Titans. We moved the horses and cart in between some trees and we used our maneuver gear to get to the top of two of the tallest ones around to get a better vantage point. 

Fortunately these were just a handful of larger specimens so we were able to feel them coming from a distance. We would definitely have more issues with the smaller ones who wouldn’t announce their presence as overtly. From the treetops, I instructed Eren to aim and fire as soon as the group entered our firing range and I would be doing the same. If they stayed clustered in one group, we take them all out in one swoop. If not, I would take the right side and Eren the left. We had to use the bare minimum of the formula needed to get the job done as we were only able to carry a few canisters with us. We of course had our blades if we absolutely ran out, but neither of us wanted to put ourselves in physical danger, despite our skills, unless absolutely necessary. And don’t even think about Eren shifting. That was undeniably a total last resort.

These unsuspecting monsters seemed to be in a cooperative mood as they stayed huddled close together where we could take all five of them out in one shot. Eren deferred to me, as I have slightly better marksmanship- most likely just due to the extra years of experience I had. I had to admit he was pretty damn good considering he didn’t participate in the target practice for the most part, being his job was to keep control of his Titan self and force the others into large groups that would make for an easier shot. As soon as the bastards were in range, I fired the canister at them, scattering the formula over a wide area and dispatching all of them in a flourish of screams and thick, hot steam. 

Once visibility was back to normal from the steam dissipating, we left the treetops and rejoined the horses and cart. We had lost about an hour of the day and hadn’t eaten any lunch earlier, so now of course we started to get hungry. We continued along the stream for about another hour and made sure the coast seemed clear before we started an early dinner. Convinced that there weren’t any more Titans close by, we set up our sleeping gear and decided to turn in early and then just start off earlier in the morning. 

The next few days progressed as clockwork. We continued to mark a few trees with the bright orange ribbon and Eren fastidiously added to the map. We would let the hawks out every so often so they could hunt and stretch their wings. Thank goodness Armin and Jean had trained them well. I have to admit I feared the fuckers would fly off, never to be seen again and then we’d be screwed – unable to get the map back to Erwin and the others where they would have to rely on the ribbon markers alone. They always returned to us after their excursions and watching them made me long to swing through the forests with my gear. I missed the feeling of flying and hoped we could indulge once the rest of the group joined up with plenty of supplies. We only carried the bare minimum of gas for the gear so I didn’t want to squander it on superficial trysts.

Our next challenge to face appeared about a week after we had left. Eren and I had taken to falling asleep under the stars, hands connected and staring at the great dark sky. We noticed that we couldn’t see the stars that evening due to heavy cloud cover. Sure enough, the next morning it began to rain. Trying to pull a cart in the rain is a bitch, either the mud caused issues where the cart would get stuck or it got too heavy for the horses to proceed thanks to zero visibility. This seriously hindered our progress during the day and was a huge pain in the ass at night if we weren’t able to find proper shelter. Three fucking days in a row being covered in mud and never being able to fully dry out except for the one evening we were able to find an old house that still had an intact roof and a fireplace that fortunately had a few pieces of dry wood still left in it.

Eren had to make up for lost time on the map since there was no way for him to mark it while traveling in a downpour. I was proud that he was able to remember a lot of the landmarks in his head as we went, despite the extreme discomfort of the dampness added to the increasing hunger as hunting in the rain was near impossible. We made the best out of what we had but it had started to take its toll on our energy levels. We looked for some fruits and such and being only late spring, very few were ripe just yet. At least the rain seemed to keep any rogue Titans at bay and we kept our spirits up as much as we could, knowing the rain would cease at some point. Just one look into Eren’s eyes and I could see the hope and future there giving us the strength to carry on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was boring without dialog, I just think the two would be so concerned with other things rather than making a bunch of small talk. I think their thoughts and feelings still come through as the story moves along. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading. Your comments and kudos are always very much appreciated!


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

After one more day of rain, it finally ceased. All I could say was good fucking riddance. I didn’t care if it ever rained again. Our clothes were stiff from being constantly wet and being covered in mud, not to mention that our food supply was dangerously low. Our hunting attempts had proven fruitless- seemed no animals in their right mind other than us wanted to brave the pouring rain, so there was nothing to catch. We had finished up the breads and crackers we left home with when the downpours had first started since they would have only gotten soggy anyway. That left us with just some meat jerky and a few apples. Normally, we would have tried to fish but the rain was unrelenting, so to go to the stream to fish, we might as well have been taking a long bath.

So we started our 3rd week of travel with some sunshine finally and it had never felt so good to be completely dry and slightly warmed by the soft rays. My stomach rumbled constantly since I had been secretly giving the majority of my food portions to Eren who needed it more as he was still young and most likely still growing. Besides, he needed to concentrate more on his tasks with the map and trail marking. I just had to simply guide the horses and cart along. Nonetheless, I really hoped we were able to find some food soon. To have finally gained our freedom and head out to explore the limitless world, only to die of hunger would have been a fucking kick in the face. I was determined that we would find a suitable place to settle in the next week or two and a little hunger was not going to get the best of us.

Of course, our luck had to run out totally. Over the next three days, while we made up for lost time on the distance we travelled, we were still unable to get a decent supply of food. We caught a few fish and ate some not quite ripe berries, but not nearly enough to fill the deep hunger we had for the last week or carry us through any more days. We really needed to be able to catch a deer or something more substantial. I would have done anything for a few pieces of warm, satisfying bread. 

The two of us came across an occasional abandoned house , and while it was nice to have some shelter from the elements for a brief respite and a bonus if we found anything of use, the one thing we needed the most at this point- sustenance, was the one treasure we knew there was no hope of uncovering. Even food with a long shelf life that someone may have preserved in jars wouldn’t still be edible at this point if we did happen to come across any. It was bad enough that we couldn’t even salvage blankets or clothing as the majority of what we had found were moth-eaten and moldy. The rare exception being found in strong, wooden chests that pests and heavy moisture couldn’t reach. We may not need heavy blankets or clothing now, but once we got to our final place of residence and winter hit, they would be certainly welcome. I sure as fuck knew I wasn’t capable of making any garments or linens and highly doubted Eren was able to either.

At least the brat had said he was decent at growing crops, having worked in the fields for a few years before he was old enough to join the military. Where I had survived before joining the Survey Corps, there was no sun to cultivate any type of food. What I knew most about gathering food was either bargaining for it or outright stealing it. That wasn’t a viable skill now since there wasn’t anyone to barter with or pilfer from. It would be a downright miracle if anyone had survived outside these walls all these years. I knew that there were stories of people being turned away when the population inside the walls had been maxed out but that had been so long ago. I couldn’t imagine anyone trying to survive against countless Titans without the proper equipment to run from or engage them. 

Speaking of which, we had been fortunate to avoid any Titan activity since that last time, and I barely had the energy to move due to lack of sufficient food. Thanks to the fresh running stream we were following, we always had plenty of fresh water but the fish there didn’t get very large. The few we caught were nice but not very filling due to their smaller size. We were constantly on the lookout for deer or boar- maybe even an ox or cow of some kind. Who the hell knew what kind of livestock might be wandering around loose out here? Surely, when everyone migrated to the Walls, they weren’t able to bring all of their animals with them. There were bound to be some of those animal’s offspring out here somewhere and I hoped dearly that some of them would be in close proximity to us. Sadly, we went to bed that evening having not caught anything further to eat and Eren finished up the last of what we had in the cart. We might just have to resort to eating bark if this shit keeps up.

The next morning, I am awoken by rough shaking. Eren is screaming something but I can barely make it out. I am very weak from not eating more than just a handful of food for almost a week and it seems to have finally caught up with me. It’s not until I hear him say the word “Titan” that I am finally able to reach full consciousness.

“Heichou, we need to go now, there is a large group of Titans heading this way and we need to get into position if we are going to take them out.”

“Oi brat! Take the horses and the cart over there into the trees and get your pistol ready. I’ll go ahead and climb up that tall tree over there to see what we’re up against.”

“Yes sir! Are you feeling unwell? You never sleep that heavily.”

“Don’t worry about that shit now- just get going!”

I quickly strap my gear and pistol on and head up the tree. I can see Eren below getting the cart and horses to a secluded spot where the Titans shouldn’t be able to spook them off. They were pretty stout-hearted to being with but it’s always best to be extra cautionary when it comes to animals that can be unpredictable at best. I look further past Eren and I can see about seven or eight Titans heading this way, this time they are not in a nice clustered group- these are all scattered and going at their own pace-some fast, some slow.

I don’t know how the hell I couldn’t hear them coming earlier. I never sleep through one of them approaching, let alone a fucking herd of them. I must be suffering from hunger and malnutrition more than I thought. I guess these Titan traits of mine that I inherited don’t protect me from starving. I’ll have to let Eren know what’s going on so hopefully he can find some extra food while I rest for a little after this. I’m sure I’ll be back to normal in a day or two if Eren and I can just get a full meal. I know he hasn’t had much either but at least enough for him to sustain his strength. Right now though, I need to concentrate on taking these jerks down that disturbed my beauty sleep.

Eren has already gotten into position and is about to take out the first two headed in his direction. I have one headed towards me and then there a few more behind those that are staggered. Of course the majority is headed my way and Eren has more ammunition that I do. Having just woken up and heading right up the tree, Eren had the chance to grab more canisters from the cart while I just had a few on my belt with my pistol.

I hear Eren’s first shot as he takes out two of them and then it’s my turn. I barely hit my target as the recoil catches me by surprise. I didn’t realize just how weakened I had become. I’d have to concentrate more on the next shot and brace myself against the tree trunk. Eren takes out one more on his side but the rest are still headed towards me. I make the shot and one of them is super fast- most likely an aberrant and manages to dodge the canister. I hit two of them but can’t seem to land one on that aberrant. “Shit, I just used my last canister and I missed again,” I hiss to myself under my breath. The stupid thing is headed right towards me on a collision course with the tree. There’s no time for Eren to make it over here before it reaches me. I’ll have to take it out the old-fashioned way. I draw out my blades and jump up and swing towards it. I make a quick rotation and slice it right along the nape of the neck. I see the huge, hulking figure start its descent to the ground as I stop my spin. I can feel that my body has stopped rotating but my head seems to have other ideas. I haven’t felt dizzy for many years while performing my attacks on Titans- not since I first started with the Survey Corps but this was sudden and debilitating. I tried to land on a nearby tree branch that would support my weight until the spinning in my head stopped, but I never quite made it. My world went black and I could feel myself start to plummet to the ground before I lost all consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Levi- always running into some issues. We all knew it couldn't be a perfectly smooth journey but hopefully all will be well soon. Thanks so much for reading and for the wonderful kudos!


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The next thing I knew, it hurt to open my eyes; the light is just too bright and dizziness and nausea assaulted me the moment I managed to get them to focus even a little bit on the sun high in the sky.

I moved my head to the side to look for any other signs to indicate where I was and also to see if I could locate Jaeger. I could barely remember what had happened prior to waking up just now and didn’t want to risk hurting my head more by forcing myself to figure it out.

Fortunately I didn’t have to wait long.

“Levi! Oh thank goodness, you’re awake.”

“What happened brat?”

“You don’t remember anything?”

“Not much, my mind is still all fuzzy and I barely have the strength to move.”

“ Well, it was morning and you were sleeping in much later than normal. Somehow without our hearing them, a group of Titans came along and some were of the deviant type. We started to use the formula to take them out but most headed towards where you were perched and you ran out. You missed a few times, which at first I couldn’t understand why- you are always deadly accurate with your aim. When you took out your blades, you managed to take the last Titan down but I could see you had gotten disoriented. I used my gear to rush over to you as you started to fall to the ground. When I caught you, you had already passed out.”

“I fell using my gear? How long have I been out? How could that have even happened?” I didn't enjoy hearing that I was incapable of maneuvering properly- even if just this once. 

“For almost 3 days. And I think you damn well know what caused it. I hate to scold my elders but if you ever pretend to eat and then give me all of the food again, Heichou, I will personally hand feed you like a baby. You could have been killed!” I was quite shocked at his tone- Eren almost never berated me- it was always the other way around. His eyes blazed with anger but also concern.

“How did you find out?”

“I know I’m not as smart as Armin, but I’m not stupid. I knew how much food we had left among the 2 of us and we really weren’t able to replenish our supply for a long time. So when what we had lasted a lot longer than it should have, I started to question why. Then you began showing signs of malnourishment. Our titan powers will heal us and keep us protected from some physical injuries, but it seems they don’t do much for us when our bodies are in need of food. You were having trouble waking up for a few days and I was seeing you start to veer off the path sometimes with the cart. I knew something was drastically wrong and then it finally dawned on me that I hadn’t seen you eat more than a mouthful for over a week. No wonder you were so lethargic. Please promise me you won’t ever starve yourself like that again. I would have been ok with splitting what we had.”

“I didn’t know when we’d be able to find more and you needed it more than me. You’re still young and growing.”

“I know why you did it and I appreciate that but please don’t do it again. What would I do if I lost you? I could never make it alone out here all by myself. Nor do I want to be without you-even for just a short time while you decide to be unconscious for not eating. Speaking of which, I made some soup yesterday- I caught a boar. I’ve been giving you broth while you were out of it, but now you can eat some solid food since you’re awake. Let me get the berries and stuff I found this morning. Stay right there.”

“Stupid brat, I still don’t have the strength to go anywhere, anyway.”

“Haha..I guess that’s true. Make that for one positive thing in my favor. You can’t run away from me in that condition.”

“Eren!” I managed to raise my voice slightly with annoyance in response to such a statement.

“I’m kidding, Heichou! You know I prefer it when you are strong and healthy. I’ll be right back.”

I hear some rustling of the supplies in the cart as well as some squawking from the 2 hawks. Seemed like they had been out hunting themselves and had just returned to the cage so Eren could place them back inside. We would normally already be on the move at this time of the morning but I guess what I had done had only resulted in delaying us further. I just hoped I could get my strength back soon so we could get back to the journey. The full heat of the summer sun would be approaching before long and we still had to construct some permanent shelter once we got to our final destination.

The shuffling and squawking soon ceased and Eren was back beside me in a matter of moments with two bowls. One with some soup- mostly broth but a few solid pieces that made it smell heavenly. My stomach grumbled and twisted so loud, I thought it would close in on itself. Eren chuckled lightly as I tried to sit up slightly. 

Eren had some pillows nearby and propped me up once he had put the bowls down.

“Don’t get too cheeky, brat. Once I get back on my feet and we can hunt for some more real food, I might just start you back on our old exercise regimen.”

“Oh no, please Levi. Anything but that,” he groaned but with a huge smile on his face as he picked up the soup bowl again and brought the spoon to my mouth. It tasted wonderfully but I couldn’t help but think how bitter it was for Humanity’s Strongest to be hand fed by one bratty Titan shifter. Before long the bowl was empty and my hunger was hardly sated. 

“We need to start you back slow so your body doesn’t just reject it all. If you gorge yourself, you’ll only throw it all back up. But I do have a few berries if you feel your stomach can handle them.”

“I’ll make sure to keep them down. I wouldn’t want to waste a single bit after having nothing for a while. I really am grateful your father was a doctor. You may not be consciously aware of it, but you learned a lot of important things from him.”

“I guess I never thought about it, but I did follow him around a lot when he made his rounds. We never spoke about it but I wonder sometimes if he had wanted me to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor one day. If things with the Titans had turned out differently, would I have ever joined the Survey Corps? I just wish I knew what happened to him- he just disappeared one day without a trace. And I never made it back to the basement of our old house. Who knows what secrets are lurking there.”

“Hanji and Erwin said once they were sure that almost of the Titans had been killed, they would make an excursion to Shingashina to check out whatever is located in the basement. Of course, it would have to be a covert mission just in case. Sina knows we don’t need a bunch of government officials getting their corrupt hands on sensitive information. You gave her your key a long time ago, right?”

“Yeah- back when we first moved into that secret room below her lab. She promised me that she would go on my behalf and try to see if could determine what had happened to my dad and any further information he had found about the Titans. Maybe some answers on what he had done to me and why I am like this.”

“Ahem- now why we are both like this. I may have never shifted and honestly hope I never do, but I need to know any of that information as well. For all we know, we may just self-destruct one day.”

“I agree that any documentation would be helpful but I just don’t know how much of his research would be written down and if it is even salvageable from the attack.”

“I guess we can only hope then. You sure I can’t have any more berries? Those were delicious and I am still starving.”

“Nope- no more berries for right now. You can have some for lunch if you’re feeling up to it then.”

“So I can’t have anything else right now?”  
“You still need to rest so we can get back to our journey. I don’t want to head back out until you can at least get back on your own two feet. But in the meantime, there is one thing I can give you.”

“And what would that be, stingy brat?”

I soon found out that what he had to give me was better than all of the sweet, juicy berries in the world. He leaned down and kissed me with his warm lips tasting of sunshine and syrupy goodness. I soon forgot the hunger in my stomach and we stayed like that, lips dancing lightly until I could feel myself drifting back to sleep in contentment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The journey continues but they will be coming to their final location soon. Thanks to everyone who continues with these two on their travels. I always appreciate the continued support!


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

It took two more days for me to recover enough strength to get back on my feet again. Two days of being pampered by Eren. It was embarrassing as hell to have to be hand fed at first but I would never admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the undivided attention. When he went off to hunt and gather any vegetation, we were only separated for maybe an hour or two at most but my heart ached with a deep loneliness as we had been spending every waking and sleeping hour together. Seemed I had become hopelessly addicted to the brat’s company and suffered from withdrawal when he was out of earshot. Oh how the mighty have fallen, I laughed to myself as we packed up the cart preparing to start the day.

Fortunately, Eren was having much better luck procuring food now compared to the last two weeks and with a full stomach, my recovery happened much quicker so we could continue our journey. It seemed like we had been travelling forever even though I knew it was only for barely five weeks. I looked at the map that Eren painstakingly updated and was shocked to see just how much ground we had covered. The others would certainly have to travel a long distance to meet up with us once the final clearance had been given. I couldn’t imagine still being stuck behind those walls after tasting how amazing freedom was. I hoped the others were just as excited to start their journey when the time came. A freedom that came at a high cost and needed to be revered.

The outside world was so beautiful and there was so much to explore that even though the trip was arduous, Eren and I approached each day with hope and determination. None of the books or stories came close to accurately describing the majestic views we got to experience. Fields of wildflowers just starting to bloom with the warmth of late spring, the crystal clear running stream that shimmered like silver and so many trees of all varieties and sizes. If it weren’t for the occasional ruins we encountered you’d have thought that this world was completely untainted by man. It was all for the taking once again, now that the Titans were on the verge of extinction. It was thrilling but also a little intimidating- hoping that humanity would make better choices now that we were free of the threat from Titans. Only time would tell. In the meantime, Eren and I just needed to find a suitable place for our new community to flourish. Hopefully, we would discover that perfect spot to settle into soon. 

Once we got back on our way and after assuring Eren for the millionth time that I would never starve myself like that again, we did our best to make up for lost time. We covered as much distance as possible, gathering whatever wild, edible vegetation we could find. As for hunting and fishing, luck was on our side for a change for now and neither of us had to go hungry for even a single day. The extra strength was so important now that it was becoming critical to locate that ideal spot for settlement. We had to ensure we had sufficient time to fortify or build our shelter as well as make sure we got our crops planted before spring ended. If not, they would never be ready for the harvest in the fall, meaning we would not have any fruits and vegetables to carry us through the winter. Heavens knew we were not looking forward to a harsh winter out here if we didn’t have proper time and resources to prepare for it. That would be even worse if none of the others were able to join us before then, since we’d be completely on our own.

Another week flew by. The weather also cooperated and we only had one small Titan encounter which we quickly took care of. We then came to an edge of the forest where the stream disappeared as the trees grew thick and lush, masking its path. Eren suggested we follow along the perimeter of trees for the next day or two, which proved to be a good idea. We were able to secure a bountiful food supply and the ground was nice and level, allowing us to travel comfortably and quickly. It led us to a breathtaking valley where the stream appeared once again and there were plenty of tall pine trees which kept the valley almost hidden. The overhanging branches kept it a little cooler with its shade, letting just enough sunlight in. Upon further investigating the immediate area, we found a tiny cluster of small stone houses. I looked over at Eren and he gazed back at me and smiled. Without even having to say a word, we both knew that this was it. The perfect place to call our own and to invite those we had left behind to join us here. There was plenty of space to expand and flat fields to cultivate our crops. The forest would provide game until we were able to somehow get some farm animals- maybe Erwin and Hanji would find a way to bring some with them. The stream was nearby without being too close in case of a flood and it seemed there was even a well already near the center of the tiny group of houses. Sure we needed to see if it was still viable but if not, we had fresh running water close by in the meantime. 

Of course, the homes had been abandoned for many years so they were obviously in various states of disrepair and deterioration; however, their basic stone structure still appeared to be stable and fully intact. We found a small stable where we tied up the horses for the time being and started a quick inspection of the houses. Seems like there were eight of them in all.

“I guess we get first pick, Levi?”

“Yep, seems that way. Let’s go ahead and find the one with the least damage so we can at least work on repairing that one to start with. Once we get that one sealed up, cleaned thoroughly and furnished with the basics, then we’ll have the opportunity to explore the others to see which, if any, we preferred. Then we won’t have to rush to get that one habitable. We will have plenty of time before the others get here and start choosing their own.”

“Sounds like a good plan, but I think once we get settled in the first one, I’m not sure if we’ll want to bother with moving again. Hopefully we’ll have time to fix up the others with some basic repairs so that will be one less thing for the others to worry about after that long journey. It took us almost six weeks to get here. They’ll be exhausted too once they make it- assuming that they don’t get lost along the way.”

“Tch- they are already getting off easy. We had to find the place and if they can’t follow your detailed map and the markings we left behind then they don’t deserve to live here. We have to start planting and tending to the crops right away, in addition to patching up these buildings. You want them to just move right on in, no effort on their part, huh?”

“I- I didn’t mean it that way, Heichou. I just want them to have some shelter once they get here. I’m sure there will still be planty of work to go around for everyone. But, I’m pretty sure we won’t want them all trying to cram into our house upon arrival.” He looked at me with that earnest but mischievous look of his. “I know we’ll want to maintain our privacy, right Levi?”

“Ha- you are right. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get to work.”

After checking through half of the little cottage-like structures, we found the one with minimal roof damage. Everything else seemed stable, save for one window that had been broken. Eren volunteered to go up on the top of the house and patch it up enough to prevent leaks for now. While he did that, I cleaned out the majority of the dust. There were very few pieces of furniture so I was able to get the cleaning done in no time. Eren only found two holes in the roof, which he quickly repaired with some planks of wood made from a table we found in one of the other homes. There was even enough left over to cover the broken window so it worked out well. Afterwards, we unloaded the majority of the supplies in the cart, settled the hawks in the barn attached to the stables and made a quick meal. The extra physical work had surely caused a huge appetite for the both of us and we both thoroughly enjoyed our first meal in our new home.

After dinner, we settled down in our bedroom, where I had laid out our sleeping gear. Hopefully, we’d be able to construct a real bed soon, but the gear was plenty comfortable in the meantime. It was a bit strange to look up and not see the night sky all aglow with tiny shards of light piercing through. Now all we could see was the ceiling. But that was fine with me if it meant that Eren and I would be safe and secure- protected from the elements and able to cuddle next to each other in the privacy of our own place. The other plus of this particular home was that it was the most secluded of the eight. True that having a lot of trees surrounding us could be dangerous of they fell but it seems they did an excellent job of protecting the building since it had the least damage. We would just need to add some personal touches to make it our own.

That’s right- this now belonged to just us two. I had never had a true home of my own- at least not one I could remember and Eren had lost his childhood home at an early age as well. This truly was a major milestone for the both of us and Eren must have sensed my thoughts. He reached for my hand and placed it gently to his lips for a warm, gentle kiss.

“I can’t believe, we’re finally here, Levi,” he whispered to me. “We’re so lucky to have found such a beautiful place to settle down. It’ll be just like our own little town once the others arrive.” He smiled so genuinely that it was contagious.

“Hmm, it will be nice but for now, I am happy for the peace and quiet. Let’s enjoy the beauty of that while we can.”My own smile now feeling a little strange on my face that was previously only capable of scowls and grimaces.

“True, I’m going to start by enjoying your beauty.” He said this with an even larger smile and rolled over on his side to face me. I scooted over closer to him, beckoned by his teal eyes. I just had to stare into them for a short time and I was lost. The next thing I felt was his lips had moved from my hand to my lips as well. The kiss gradually intensified, spreading a delicious heat from my head down to my toes. Our hands started to explore- wandering around and enjoying every curve, every dimple and then each of us ending our journey on our hot, needy erections. It had been almost six weeks since we had started our journey and we didn’t want to risk being intimate outside since there was always a threat of being caught by a predator of some sort, even though Titans are usually dormant at night.

Now, six weeks of longing and lusty need took over and we could think of nothing else but the pleasuring of each other. Our night clothes soon ended up tossed across the room. Sloppy kisses, biting, marking, sucking on each other’s most sensitive parts brought us both to a fevered pitch. My wet fingers stretched and probed Eren as he stroked me up and down until we could barely breath through our pants and moans.

Eren broke the silence first. “Levi, please. I’m at my limit. I need you inside right now.” He begged in the most seductive way.

“For the love of Sina, Eren. When you talk like that, it just sends me over the edge,” I growled as I made sure I had given him sufficient preparation during our foreplay. He seemed plenty wet and open, so I just had him suck on my cock a few times to make sure. The heat of his mouth was damn hard to resist, but I left it willingly once he implored me to fuck him once again. I settled back on my hands and knees in front of his wide open legs, exposing his most intimate parts.

“You know I could never deny you what you want, Eren,” I mewl as I push into his, tight, wet passage. I started with slow thrusts to get him used to it. This was only our second time after all and it had been quite a few weeks in between. I made sure to hit all of his sensitive spots and before long, he was pleading for more. “Faster Levi, please,” he cried out. I quickened the pace and pulled his legs up over my shoulders for better access. I was immediately rewarded with the sexiest sounds coming from my lover’s mouth. The sensations were so intense; I knew I was getting close. “Eren, I’m on the edge.”

“Me too, Ahhh…Levi…right there.” I hit that same spot again and I could feel and hear his orgasm overflow and the wet warmth covering us both around the middle. The clenching around my cock was the final trigger for me and I released deep inside of him, eyes shut tight as I rode out the waves of pleasure traveling through me. When the aftershocks had all subsided, I got up and reached over for some towels to clean us up. I laid back down next to Eren who immediately enveloped me in his warm, strong arms and kissed me sweetly on the forehead.

“That was the best housewarming present ever,” he murmured to me with a slight giggle. “Can we do that again after we fix up each of the other houses?” I could only look at him in shock from his unexpected but not totally unwelcome suggestion.

This brat is going to kill me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is a week late. I had a convention last week and couldn't manage to update both stories I am working on. Hope the smidgen of smut at the end helped to make up for it. And I thought it was a nice way to celebrate Eren's birthday.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

 

Over the next week, Eren and I completed more thorough repairs to our own little house and took full stock of everything that was salvageable in the other homes. We loaded up the cart with all of the rubbish that was deteriorated beyond repair each day and brought it out to an open field. Once we had fully cleaned out everything we could, we waited for a day when there was only a mild wind and lit the huge pile of trash we had amassed on fire. We also made preparing a large field for planting a huge priority. Since we obviously had no means to bring large farming tools with us, we had to till the land, plant and water by hand. We started with just a quarter of the field to work in just to get the most important crops started. Then we could plant the rest over the next few weeks. Regardless of splitting the field into fourths, Eren and I both went to bed every evening completely exhausted. However, by some miracle, we had accomplished so much in just one week. 

The second week, in addition to more planting, Eren completed all of the details on the map before he forgot anything due to too much time passing. I had to admit that he had done an incredible job on it.

 

“That’s amazing, Eren. The landmarks, the paths we took, the places where the stream seems to disappear and where it reappears, the different types of trees at each place we stopped – you got all of it on there. All of that information will come in handy when everyone decides to join us. If they manage to still get lost, they are even more incompetent than I would have ever imagined. I’m so proud of you.” I know I didn’t praise him enough verbally but hoped I made up for it other ways as I pulled him close in a loose embrace. 

 

“Thanks Levi, I’m sure you would have done just as good a job as long as you didn’t try to draw any Titans on there.” I glared at him at first, knowing he was poking fun at my previous artistic undertakings, but I couldn’t help breaking into a smirk when he looked at me with a goofy grin. 

 

“It’s nice to see you smiling more often, Heichou.” He reverts back to formalities on occasion but I don’t mind it. “You never used to. Maybe it’s because now you have a part of me in you when they gave you my blood? Or maybe is it that now we found some berries, you aren’t constipated all the time anymore?”

 

I actually laugh at that, a good hearty laugh. “Brat, maybe it is your blood or most likely it’s just all of you that makes me want to smile more often. And now that we have our freedom and don’t have to worry about getting eaten at any given time, what is there not to be happy about? Besides, I think I may have rubbed off on you a little as well. Making shit jokes now? I never thought I’d see the day. But then again, you probably still have some of me inside of you from last night?” I teased him back and was rewarded handsomely with an immediate blush to his lovely face. I couldn’t resist it when he got all flustered and hoped he never lost this side of him even when the novelty and innocence wore off. I pulled him closer to me so I could ravish him with a few heated kisses.

 

Sadly, we had to break it off before we got too carried away. There was still a lot of work to do in preparation for the others’ arrival. So now that the map was ready to go, we have to make sure to secure it properly to one of the hawks and hope it makes it back to the Walls and Jean or Armin who had trained them. We had the 2nd hawk as a back up just in case, but we wouldn’t know for weeks if the first one hadn’t made it, as we wouldn’t get a confirmation note back from the group. The plan was for them to send a message back to us to acknowledge they had gotten the map and to inform of us of an approximate date of when they expected to arrive here. There were so many things that could go wrong and countless issues that could occur suddenly beyond anyone’s control, such as the weather or even Titans, despite them having been almost eliminated by this time. 

 

“So now that the map is ready to go, we’ll send the bigger of the 2 hawks back to the Walls. Do you think the other one will miss him?” Eren contemplated out loud.

“They’ve been together for as long as we have known them, so I guess they will be a little lonely.”

“I’d be distraught without you by my side, so I’m sure they will feel the same.” That brat is just too cute for his own good.

“Then all the more incentive for the hawk to complete his mission and get back here as quickly as possible, right?” I could only guess, not knowing much about birds, but I knew exactly how it felt to be alone; those horrible days when Eren was in bed fighting for his life after he had saved mine.

“Yes, coming back to your loved one is always wonderful.” I couldn’t agree more.

“Ok, enough of this sentimental bullshit, we have work to do. You need to finish preparing the hawk for travel first thing at dawn tomorrow and I have more cleaning to do at the other houses.”  
“Yes sir!” He said with a wink and headed out.

The next morning, we released the hawk with its all-important mission and hoped all would go well on his journey there and back. We could only wait with bated breath for him to return. I had finally gotten all of the other houses cleaned out properly after Eren had patched up all of the roofs while in Titan mode (much to my chagrin, but it did work out much faster that way), so we finally had some time to work on making some furniture. First and foremost was a bed. The frame was relatively easy enough with the wood we found but finding suitable soft materials to stuff the mattress with was another story. Eren had suggested hay but there was no way in hell, I wanted the occasional sharp end of hay poking me in various places while I tried to sleep. I was content with the sleeping bags we had for now. I suggested that we start looking for down to stuff the mattress with but this was easier said than done. Eren worked hard to gather feathers from the woods and from any fowl we caught, but it was an extremely slow process to fill up the mattress shell. We did manage to find a few rogue cotton plants around the neighboring fields and planted some of the seeds for us to use for the future. Sadly, there weren’t any puffs of the cotton to use now but they would come in handy one day for clothing, pillows and such. I had not the slightest idea how to make anything with the cotton, but Eren and I made damn sure that all of the crops we planted flourished. Our lives depended on it, as would the lives of those that would hopefully join us eventually.

 

Funny, that as a month passed and the houses were as ready as they could be for the others to move in, Eren and I became full-time farmers. Everything had started to sprout up as the weather continued to grow warmer and the rains more frequent. Eren was invaluable with the information he had about growing and cultivating crops, since I knew next to nothing. It was amazing how Humanity’s Strongest and Humanity’s Greatest Hope were now just exiled farmers. But we were happy. We had each other. We had a home, modest as it was, it was ours. We had our freedom and the world provided us all we needed to survive. The only thing missing was our friends.

 

But we found that soon we would be reunited with them as well. Six weeks after we had sent the hawk on his journey, he returned to us with a message. Erwin and Hanji got the map and Armin had already begun making a copy of it as a backup. They reported that there were only occasional Titan sightings nowadays and I could confirm that we hadn’t seen or heard any signs of Titans for at least 3 weeks ourselves. We would only dare hope that most of them were gone. With that declaration, everyone who was planning to make the trip would start in early autumn before it got too cold. Eren was especially thrilled with this news and even I had to admit it would be nice to be reunited with everyone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late. I had some computer issues yesterday. Hope you enjoyed the few fluffy moments and I'm so excited to see everyone reunited again. Thanks to all who continue to read this - it has gone on longer than I thought but the end is drawing close.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Summer was soon halfway over which meant that we had to double our efforts to keep the crops alive and well protected. I had no idea that farming was such a fucking pain in the ass. If we weren’t busy with keeping the plants hydrated with the long hours of the sweltering sun beating down, we were trying to eradicate all of the pests that continually attacked, like insects and birds. Don’t even mention the rabbits and deer that loved to sneak into the field and eat the few things that were almost ripe and ready to be picked. At least this gave us some easy targets for meat but we would really just prefer if the animals left our crops alone in the first place. All I could say was that it was a miracle to get any of this shit to grow and bear fruit when the whole freaking world seemed to be plotting against it. How do all those wild berries manage to grow without someone constantly watching over them? 

It got so bad with the rogue animals looking for a free meal that we eventually had to build a fence around the field. Sadly, neither of us knew squat about building a fence, so we pretty much winged it. Eren was able to transform into his Titan and go deep into the woods to rip up a few trees for the wood we needed. We both chopped them further into planks and posts, the latter of which we were able to drive into the ground. We had brought some nails with us but the majority had already been used to repair the roofs and other parts of the houses. Therefore, we had to be creative and use parts of rope and anything else we could find to keep sections of the fence together. It was enough to keep the deer and boars out; however, birds and rabbits were still an issue. Eventually, Eren remembered something from his past about keeping birds away and built something called a scarecrow. He took some old clothing and stuffed it with hay and topped it off with a hat that we found in the one of the houses. He attached it to a long stick and stuck it in the middle of the field. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen and couldn’t help but laugh openly at the sight of it. However, the brat had the last laugh since it was effective in its purpose. For my lack of confidence in him, I got the wonderful job of cleaning out the horse’s stables in the oppressive heat that day. At least I got a wonderful consolation prize that evening as Eren and I went down to the stream to wash up in the cool, gentle-flowing waters. Afterwards, while we lay drying off on a blanket near the edge of the stream, the sun just starting to lower in the sky, we explored each other’s bodies, kissing and nipping all over. It was a lazy evening and we took our time ravishing each other, making love until we were sated and all heated up again. Just in time to wash up in the water again before heading back to our home before the mosquitoes came out in full force to eat us alive.

Back in our bedroom, Eren had managed to find enough downy material to make a suitable mattress. We had both worked on the bed frame together and soon had a comfy bed to rest our weary bodies at night. Thank goodness, we had a few trees overhead that helped keep the house a little cooler than the outside temperature with their shade and there was almost always enough of a breeze to keep it bearable when we left the windows open at night. I definitely knew about how mosquitoes and other nightly insects could be so I used some of the sheets we brought with us to make curtains around our bed to keep any nasty, bloodsucking creepy crawlies out. Eren thought the curtains were romantic, like some fancy set up that a princess would have in a fairy tale and I could only smile at the thought. Neither of us could be mistaken for a princess and we both got up to some not-so-innocent nocturnal activities in said bed that would not be fit in any fairy tale. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. This was our story and ours alone. My happiness was always right next to me where he belonged and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  
Every day, the morning sun rays cut through the window at the crack of dawn and the process started all over again. It took a few weeks for the two of to get comfortable with a productive routine for running a makeshift farm but we eventually got the hang of it. Get up with the sun, check for any animal damage overnight, water the crops, make sure bugs aren’t all over the crops, make and eat breakfast, clean up the house, check the crops again to see if anything can be picked, make and eat dinner, get washed up and go to bed. Every once in the while, there was a slight deviation to this schedule but overall, we both worked in sync, like a well-oiled machine.

 

Our agenda got altered a little bit when Eren happened to find some chickens wandering around while we were doing a twice-weekly hunting excursion. I was so excited at the prospect of having a chicken dinner and then later some chicken soup that I all but started to salivate on the spot. Eren however had other ideas for the 3 birds he found. He wanted to build them a little roost and have them lay eggs. He also wanted to start looking every day for a rooster so they could have some chicks. Only then, once they started multiplying would he consider using the chickens for food. 

“You mean we have feed them for months and hope we can find a rooster so they can have chicks before we can eat one? And I thought I was the evil one of the two of us?” I teased.

“I know it’s a lot of work to take care of them but just think how much it will be worth it when we have lots of eggs and then plenty of other chickens later on.”

“And what happens when you get attached to these chickens, huh?”

“Oh-um. Why do you think I’ll get attached?”

“I don’t know- maybe since you named the infernal beasts already.” I joked but deep down I knew it was quite possible.

“You know I would have to do what we have to do to survive. If it came down to us having no food, I wouldn’t hesitate so we’d be able to eat. I won’t ever have you go through what we did on the journey here.”

It had been a few months since then, but I still felt badly that I had put him through that.

“I promise we won’t ever have to worry about that again. We have been rationing food well and hunting has been prosperous. I’ve already got quite a bit of meat drying for jerky and will be sure to keep making it while we have it. It should get us through the winter with what Erwin said he’d be bringing as well. And with all of the hard work we’ve been putting in for these stupid plants, there should be plenty for all of us, once the others get here in the fall. They just better not be late. We will need their help to harvest all of this shit.”

“I’m sure they’ll get here as soon as possible. They won’t want to risk traveling once it starts to get cold.”

The days passed by in a blur and the blazing hot summer started to morph into the cooler days of fall. Eren and I continued to spend almost every waking hour tending to the crops and the few random farm animals we had acquired along the way somehow. Eren found some ducks along the stream one day and after feeding them some of our bread, the decided to stick around. He also found a goat, but so far, no cows or that elusive rooster he searched for whenever he had some free time while I was cleaning the house. I still held out hope for a chicken dinner one day but none of that would become reality if we never got the birds to lay eggs, and without the rooster, there would be no little chicks. Oh well, I guess It was all for the best since it seemed Eren had grown attached to the feathered friends already, just as I had predicted.

With the evenings developing a slight chill, I worked on making thicker blankets for everyone and we also started doubling the amount of firewood we collected weekly. Eren was able to make short work of the tall trees in his Titan form and even though he begged me to try to see if I could transform, I was still unwilling to make even a half-hearted attempt. Part of me was afraid of not being successful and seeming a disappointment to Eren, the other half was afraid I’d lose control and go on a rampage- possibly even hurting Eren or destroying the house we worked so hard on together. Sure, I was curious to know what it felt like to have that immense power at your fingertips and to be that tall. However, I’d probably end up the shortest Titan in history knowing my luck. I just couldn’t risk something going awry just to see if I had inherited that trait from Eren. I was already a bit of a monster in my heart from all of the shit we had to do to survive. Eren had the pure heart to keep his humanity no matter how much of a beast his body would become. I wished I could say the same for myself. 

Regardless, the two of us were able to start harvesting the crops and prepare for the upcoming winter in ample time and before too long into the fall season, we got a knock on our door early one morning. I thought Eren was going to trip over himself as he rushed to the door, knowing that the others had arrived. He couldn’t unlock the door fast enough, as he swung it open, almost tearing it off the hinges. There stood Erwin and Hanji in front, Armin right behind them, and then Connie and Sasha in the rear. Eren lurched forward, arms outstretched and ended up in a huge group hug. 

“You don’t know how relieved we are you guys made it here alright,” he gushed.

“Of course, you got our message back, right?” Erwin asked.

“Yes,” I said as I motioned for everyone to come inside. The house was not big, so it was a little overwhelming to now have a group of people in our little kitchen.

“And you could read my map ok?” Eren asked.

Armin replied, “Your details were perfect and we found most of the ribbons you had left along the way too.”

“I’m so glad. Eren spent a lot of time working on it.”

Eren scanned the room, “Wait, where are Mikasa and Jean? Didn’t they come along with you? Are they putting the horses away?”

Armin stepped forward and I suddenly got a feeling a dread, “Eren, promise us you won’t go getting all upset?”

“Armin, I can’t promise that not knowing where my sister is. Why isn’t she here?”

Eren was clearly upset and slightly angry, obviously anxious for the answer that Armin seemed hesitant to provide.

“Ok, well I’ll tell you, but please try to remain calm ok?”

I put my hand on his shoulder to let him know I was there for him no matter what the news was. He seemed to relax ever so slightly at my touch as Armin started to speak.

“Mikasa isn’t able to make the trip right now and Jean stayed behind with her.”

“Why can’t she travel right now? Did she get hurt or something? Is she ill?”

“It’s complicated. Sit down and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

Everyone moved over towards the fireplace and sat down and then Armin began explaining the situation to Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Reunited! Well, almost everyone anyway. Sorry for the cliffhanger- the end is near so I couldn't resist sneaking one in. Thanks so much for continuing with this saga.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of you guessed the surprise! Sorry this is later than I wanted it to be- we had some bad storms and internet was on and off. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 38

Eren looked like he was about to faint, so I pulled his chair over to the kitchen table for stability. I pulled up a chair as well and sat next to him, holding his hands in mine.

“Just spit it out, Arlert. Let’s get this over with. Obviously, Eren is little apprehensive about what is going on with his sister, so just get to the point, ok?”

“O-ok,” the blonde squeaked and I thought Hanji was going to burst into laughter at the ridiculous sound coming from the young man. I glared at her and she immediately put her stoic face back on as Armin continued. “Well, Eren, right before you and Levi left on your journey, Mikasa and Jean sort of got together. We didn’t find out about her situation until after you left – guess it was sometime in May.”

“The point, Arlert now!” I yelled, not giving a rat’s ass about a blossoming relationship between Eren’s sister and the horsefaced kid.

“Ok, Mikasa is pregnant. There, I said it.” Now it looked like Arlert was going to pass out.

“Thank you Armin, please take a seat before you fall over.” I could feel Eren’s grip on my hand get tighter and his mouth just sort of dropped open slightly but no sound came out.

“Eren, are you ok?” I removed my right hand from his and waved it in front of him. “Eren, you there, hello?” I looked at the others. “I think he’s in shock,” as I poked him in the side. “Oi brat! Snap out of it.” I poked him even harder the second time hoping it would have some effect. 

“Ouch! Levi!” That finally seemed to bring him back to reality but his verbal skills were still not fully back to normal. “Mikasa…and Jean. Baby?” he mumbled.

“Eren, look at me and breathe slowly,” I just needed him to get himself together and then we could ask more questions. After a few minutes, I could see he was doing better and was finally capable of speaking in a complete sentence once again.

“ You mean to tell me Horseface did that to my sister? I’m going to kill him!” Eren tried to jump up from his seat but I held onto him tightly. Great, confusion and shock was now replaced by anger. Not doing so well here.

“Why don’t we hear a little more of what’s been going on for the past few months before we start plotting murder. I’m sure a ton has happened in from when we left around April until now, in early October. Since Arlert seems a little intimidated and is one of your best friends, maybe it would be best if Erwin provided his version of what is going on.” I offered hoping that a long narrative might give Eren some time to cool down in addition to maybe discovering that what happened to his sister might not be a bad thing after all.

Erwin didn’t know all of the details, not being personally close to either Mikasa or Jean, but being their commanding officer, he was aware of certain situations. “So, I guess as Armin said, it seems Jean and Mikasa started to date around March. It was during that timeframe when Eren and Levi were in the makeshift hospital and then in the secret room under Hanji’s lab. Since you guys were in hiding, they didn’t get to interact with you two very often. “

“Why didn’t Mikasa say anything right before we left? We got to see everyone one last time before we started out journey in April. Did everyone else know then too and just didn’t say anything?” Eren asked, feeling hurt and a little confused.

“Mikasa didn’t want you to worry. She knew you and Jean had a rocky relationship and she wanted to make sure you had a clear head before you left. She didn’t find out about the baby until late May while you were probably halfway to your destination. She didn’t want to endanger you more if you were distracted thinking about her relationship with Jean. Your journey would have been dangerous enough. I know we had a few encounters on the way here. Two Titan attacks and one huge bear. Luckily, we had 2 carts of supplies- mostly food, so we didn’t have to worry about starving, but nonetheless, it was not easy for us and was surely even more taxing on the two of you.”

I could clearly attest to that and Eren seemed to second my sentiments. “Yeah, the journey was not something I would want to attempt again soon with just the two of us. I almost lost Levi on the way to malnourishment. I’ve never felt so scared and helpless before- having no one else to get assistance from. And now Mikasa wants to come here after having a baby and only with Jean? That won’t be safe! What are they thinking? Is Jean an even bigger loser than I thought he was?”

“Jean is highly capable of caring for himself and Mikasa. Your sister is even more qualified to take down any threats they may encounter along the way and they won’t be alone. Historia will be with them to help with the baby. We made sure they had all the supplies they would need before we left other than food and they promised to be sure to take along twice as much as they thought they would need just in case of delays. They plan on making the trip as soon as the weather warms up in Spring. The baby is due around the end of December or early January so that should give it a few months to grow and put on some baby fat before they make the trip. There have been less and less Titan sightings so by then, they may be fully eradicated. Trust me, Eren, we never would have left them of we thought it was too risky. And besides, you know Mikasa- we couldn’t try to keep her away from you.” Erwin tried to make light of it, but we all knew how deadly serious Mikasa was about protecting Eren.

“That’s all fine and good, but I still want to punch Jean in the face for what he did. He just couldn’t wait until they got here safe and sound?”

“Sometimes, love makes you do crazy things without thinking things through, isn’t that right Levi?” Hanji asked trying to look innocent but failing miserably.

“Haha, very funny shitty glasses. But she is right Eren. I’m sure they will be just fine and Spring will be here before you know it. We’ll be busy with the harvest for the next two months and then we can prepare some things for the baby so they are ready when they get here. Congratulations Eren. You’re going to be an uncle.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and got everyone up so we could start unpacking the carts our new guests had brought with them.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Once everyone had gotten unpacked and settled into one of the little houses of their choosing, our little group of 7 met back up the next day to get caught up. Eren and I relived the tales of our travels, which seemed to be more dramatic than the rest of the group, whose entire journey mostly uneventful. I guess with them, they had the luxury of having a larger group to help out and also since it was late summer when they started, there were more ripened, wild fruits and such at their disposal. Hanji was quite cross with me that I had gotten so weak by not eating and tried to make me feel like a complete heel knowing that if I had died it would have left Eren alone. She smacked me upside the head for good measure just to make sure I never did anything like that again. It’s a good thing I could tolerate Hanji, as there is no one else who would survive doing that to me. 

Then, Armin mentioned he was shocked at how beautifully detailed the map that Eren had made for them was and attributed this to making their journey much quicker and easier since they knew exactly where they were going. I agreed that it had turned out magnificently and made sure Eren got all of the credit for it, as I contributed nothing to it other than the actual path we took. The brat and I had to forge a new path without any guiding force other than the river/stream that we tried to follow. Erwin and Armin both agreed that this had been an excellent idea and then Armin just had to mention that if they continued following the water’s path it would lead to something called an ocean. Eren’s eyes grew even wider and sparkled even more than normal. I had to elbow him in the gut gently to get him back to reality. Seemed that seeing the ocean was a lifelong dream of these two- I remembered now Eren mentioning some such thing before, reminiscing about when he and Armin were kids and read from one of the few books left about the outside world. Most books had been burned when humanity hid behind the walls, so not sure where Arlert had gotten it. I guessed from an old relative but it gave those two hope, which may have had a part of how they were able to be here now. I certainly didn’t want to discourage Eren from following this dream but I had enough of wanderlust for now. Maybe once everyone got settled in , we all got into a routine, and had a reliable and plentiful food supply, we could make an expedition to find the ocean. It sounded lovely and also dangerous at the same time, so while I think everyone would enjoy it, the trip would have to be carefully planned out.

Next Hanji mentioned that as promised she had made the trip with Mike and Erwin to Shingashina to finally explore the Jaeger’s basement. Hanji pulled the key from beneath her shirt and removed it, handing it back to Eren, along with a portrait she must have recovered of the Jaeger family.

Eren jumped up from his seat to retrieve the two items, a ton of questions flying from his mouth in a flood that was almost incomprehensible. Hanji, also being prone to bouts of hyperactivity and verbal diarrhea, must have understood most of it. “What was down there? Any remains of the shots he gave me? Any sign of my where my Dad went? Did you discover where they came from and if there is chance they’ll come back? Was this the only portrait that survived?”

I couldn’t catch half of what he said but Hanji went into her full animation mode, arms flailing and started answering the questions in random order.

“Hey glasses. Why don’t you and Eren sit back down, take a few breaths and then you can calmly just start telling us what you found, rather than just spewing random bits of information that we can’t link together.”

“Oh fine, Levi- just because you can’t keep up, you have to be bitter. But I’ll slow down since there really isn’t a substantial amount of information but what we did find was fascinating. Some hard facts that Armin and I have been discussing for weeks trying to decipher.”

“Do you think that you came up with some concrete theories then?” I inquired before I lost her attention and she began telling her tales.

“Oh yes, we definitely have some excellent hypotheses – some we will never have a way of testing, but others we might.”

Eren fidgeted in his seat, obviously impatient to hear what information Hanji had to disclose so I encouraged her to start, “Ok, well, let’s hear what you found out.”

“First of all, Eren, I don’t want to dash your hopes of ever finding your father, but we didn’t find any evidence of where he may have gone. I can only assume he left no traces of his future whereabouts behind so that no one could track him. Seems that there were people after his secrets and he must have gone into hiding in fear of his life.”

“So there was no sign of where he went or if he had tried to come back?”

“No, I am sorry, Eren. But we do owe him a debt of thanks for what research he left behind. A lot of it sadly was destroyed and illegible when the house collapsed into part of the basement. And any of whatever he had injected into you was evaporated totally, most likely from the heat of numerous summers.”

“So whatever it was, did it seem that ever injected anyone else? So that would just leave Levi and I with whatever it was in our blood.”

“Yes, we couldn’t find any evidence to support that your father experimented with anyone else. I had already thoroughly tested your blood back at headquarters which is why we were able to come up with the formula to cause the titan bodies to self-destruct upon contact. So we knew whatever it was, there was titan DNA in it. Whether it was mixed with anything else, we may never know for sure, unless your dad shows up one day.”

Armin then interjected, “But from what we could tell from your Dad’s notes, what made up Titans was part human and part something else, which we have identified as Titan DNA. So his theories seemed to indicate that Titans were once human and were most likely some sort of experiment gone wrong when they ended up eating humans. The weird part is that you never mentioned a desire to eat anyone when you were in your Titan form so your dad must have figured out what that part was and left it out of whatever he used on you. Unless…maybe you did have that urge and uh…just never acted on it.”

“No, never! I may have lost my consciousness in the very beginning and went on destructive rampages but I could only remember feelings of rage and hatred towards other Titans. There was never a hunger for humans.” Eren seemed extremely disturbed at the mere mention of this, thoughts of his mother being eaten on his mind, I was sure.

“I can vouch for the brat. He never once acted like he was going to make a meal out of anyone while I was overseeing his transformations and even though I have never transformed myself, I have never had a sudden craving for human flesh.” I felt like I had to make this clear in case anyone harbored even the tiniest bit of doubt.

Hanji spoke up right away, “I’m sure neither of you have. Anyway, Armin and I still haven’t gone through everything but we have found various notes about everything Titan related from being idle at night to some very rudimentary thoughts on how Titans reproduced so if anyone wants to review the books and papers we have at my house, you are welcome.”

“There will be plenty of time for all of that scientific shit in the winter after we all work our asses off to harvest and preserve our crops, Hanji so don’t start dragging all that stuff out just yet.” I barked. 

“Of course, we all appreciate the hard work you two did to get the fields planted and the houses ready. We really thought we’d be sleeping out in the open for a few months. Who knew you’d get so lucky to find a few standing buildings this far out. You guys really weren’t taking any chances of anyone finding you from the Walls.”

‘We figured the farther the better. Have many left the Walls yet?” I asked.

Erwin spoke up surprisingly, “No. after you left, it still took about a month before we were able to say that there were few enough Titan sightings to allow people to safely leave. We ourselves left two weeks after they had made it officially clear to go and at that time, only the boldest and bravest ventured out. So you two should remain undiscovered for a long time if not forever.”

“Will anyone else be joining Jean, Mikasa and Historia when they make the trip in the spring?” I inquired- wanting to keep our community small and manageable but there was room for a few more if they wanted to leave the confines of the walls.

Armin answered, “Other than the baby, I don’t think anyone else was interested from our old squad.”

That sentence seemed to remind Eren of something he had tried to forget, as I saw the fire flare up in his eyes again like they had yesterday. “I still can’t believe those two were so irresponsible. I know I am beating a dead horse – wish I could literally in Jean’s case, but they knew they had to make this trip. How much it meant for everyone to have them here.”

I couldn’t help laughing at Eren’s horse comment. “Eren, you really are picking up some of my worst bad habits and bad pun making. Anyway, you can’t fully blame them. We finally got the upper hand on the Titans and a chance of a free life will let you shed your inhibitions. They obviously had feelings for each other, even if you disapprove. Don’t be hypocritical. You know Mikasa wasn’t thrilled to know that you and I had gotten together at first. But she accepted it once she knew our feelings were genuine.”

Eren blushed slightly, embarrassed from his selfishness. “I know that. I was just getting to like Jean a little with all of his help with our mission, but I do worry about Mikasa getting hurt of course. I can’t wait to be an uncle. It will be amazing to have little kids running around here, free and happy. I just wasn’t ready for it to happen so soon. And that journey with a baby won’t be easy.”

“They’ll be fine. They are two of our top squad members and another who is the sweetest and gentlest to watch the baby- you couldn’t ask for much more.”

“I know but I’ll still worry.” Eren whispered and only I heard it. I wrapped my arms around him softly murmuring that everything would be fine and then kissed him gently on his head until I could sense he had calmed down.

“They will be here before you know it, so tomorrow, we start harvesting and getting everything ready for the winter and for the new family’s arrival.” Eren smiled and I could see that the fire had been calmed for now in the waves of teal that graced his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe there is only one chapter left to go. This is the longest fanfic I have created to date and I feel sad finishing it but also happy that I can cultivate some of my other ideas, so hope you enjoy and stick around for the ending. Thanks to all who stuck it out with me this long!


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

That fall, I don’t think I ever worked harder in my life. Sweating my balls off while lifting bales of hay, pulling, picking, and digging were never my idea of a fun time. Granted it was better than running and fighting for my life to protect myself and my squad but it still sucked major ass. Especially when that optimistic, over achieving brat relished in the work he seemed to execute flawlessly and effortlessly. On top of that, the little jerk continued to grow, even though it was just slightly an inch or two, and take on an even deeper tan while I had to cover up fully to avoid getting burnt to a crisp. At least we now have the others to assist. Erwin and Connie were the most useful in assisting Eren and I with the actual harvesting. Sasha was an expert huntsman- always keeping us in supply of meat and fish. She even found a rooster one day and Eren was just ecstatic to be able to have little chicks chirping around. Of course the prospect of lots of eggs was nice too. Armin and Hanji were always devising new ways to preserve what we had in jars or drying the food out so it would last for months. Those two were quite the inventors, almost seeming as if Erwin and Hanji had adopted the kid, as he spent more time at their place than his own. At least the young blond had a place of his own for those few times when Hanji’s experiments blew up all over the place. I was so grateful that I had talked Erwin and Hanji into choosing the largest house that was on the far end of the community. The last thing I wanted was to have my few hours of peace per day destroyed by flaming projectiles and noxious fumes invading my home. 

Of course when winter finally arrived, I wouldn’t have minded anything flaming headed towards me. While we did have the nice fireplace, it was still way too cold, even with my slightly elevated temperature. We didn’t have a huge supply of warm fluffy blankets since they were too bulky to bring a lot with us. Sasha and I made a few coats with animal hides and fur and that helped everyone somewhat, but I hated wearing anything bulky around the house or while trying to sleep. Thank goodness Eren still gave off heat like a stove most of the time so I tried to keep constant physical contact with him while we were in the house. He couldn’t understand why he still generated so much heat while I didn’t. Hanji had some theories she worked on but we never did get a concrete explanation. As far as I was concerned, I couldn’t care less why, just so as I always had my Eren there to comfort me or fire me up, whichever the case was at a given moment. 

The winter passed slowly but I was perfectly content with that. I was constantly learning new skills and teaching ones I already had to Eren and the others. It kept us busy and productive and also helped to keep Eren’s mind off of Mikasa. I knew he was worried sick and honestly, he had some reason to be. We both were experienced enough with trauma to know that anything could happen and at any time. However, we both knew deep down that if anyone could handle that situation, she could. Jean was also extremely capable when it came down to crunch time as well. He may have been lazy and cowardly when he first joined my squad but he had manned up incredibly, not unlike Eren. The biggest concern I had was that she would overdo it during her pregnancy than anything else. I told Eren that I was positive that if I ever messed up and did anything to hurt him, she would still be more than capable of trying to kick my ass. That always got a laugh from Eren and I hoped it helped put his mind at ease a little. 

All in all, that winter was one of the best times of my entire life. The hard work we had put in had yielded a bountiful crop and we had enough food to last without going hungry, even if we had to be frugal. Despite our few differences, our similarities made for a wonderful relationship both in and out of the bedroom. I never felt more at ease with anyone- we could be ourselves and even though we both had less than sunny, cordial personalities, we were a perfect match for each other. For the very first time in my life, I had a birthday party that everyone pitched in on and planned flawlessly. While I did not appreciate the reminder that I was one more year older, it was a heartfelt gesture from everyone. Eren had even learned to bake a cake, sweetened with some honey Sasha had found in the woods while hunting in the early fall. It had to be one of the most delicious things I ever tasted, other than my most favorite dessert, which I made sure to indulge in numerous times that evening. 

December turned to January and then February caught up in record time with the coldest temperatures and the most snow I had ever seen. Eren loved surprising me with an occasional snowball when I would venture out to the stream to get some fresh water since most of what was in the well was frozen. The fast running stream kept it from totally icing up. And almost every time I walked back to the house with my bucket, I would get a snowball to my chest. I would swear he did it just to piss me off so I would chase him down and tackle him in the snow. Sadistic jerk wanted to do it in the snow, even though we would both freeze our balls off.

Somehow, everyone managed to survive the worst of winter with nothing more than a simple cold. Thanks to Eren and his perverted desires for snowy conquests, I did get a case of the sniffles right afterwards but otherwise, we were fortunate for no major illnesses. We had found a few roots and leaves that would be useful for some basic medicine and between Eren and Hanji, they were at least capable of making some remedies. Once Spring arrived, we all needed to do a few days of searching around for less common herbs and such so we could preserve them for later use just in case. We wanted to be prepared for any type of sickness that might arise, especially with a baby coming. Who knew what kind of germs that thing would be bringing with it.

And then March appeared out of nowhere with the promise of Spring and Eren got more anxious than ever. I tried to convince him that Spring was just now starting and Jean and Mikasa might wait to be sure all of the cold weather had passed before they start their trip. So in reality they probably wouldn’t even start until April. However, Eren seemed convinced Mikasa would insist that they head out at the first sign of mild temperatures, preferring to rejoin our group as soon as possible. I couldn’t argue with his logic, after all, he knew his sister best and even Armin had to agree that Mikasa would most likely push for them to leave as long as everyone was healthy. We didn’t even know how things had gone with the baby, but those thoughts remained unspoken.

Turned out that Eren’s instincts were right on the money. The new little family of three arrived the second week of April, just when we were in the full throes of planting all of our new crops. I was knee deep in dirt making sure the potatoes were deep enough to prevent scavengers but not too deep to prevent rot. Eren was watering behind me when we both heard a cart approaching. I tried to stop Eren from assaulting the passengers in that cart considering he was covered with mud; however, it was a lost cause. He took off at a full sprint headed towards his sister who he hadn’t seen in almost a year.

 

“Mikasa, Jean, Historia!” He screamed at the top of his lungs and the cart came to a stop not far from Eren. Mikasa jumped down and ran over to hug her brother tightly, mud and all. I loved Eren dearly, but I was not certain if I could hug him while he was covered in mud. Well, maybe if we were apart for a year I could, but even then, I might hesitate for a moment. I finished with the tubers I had just planted and headed over to join the reunited family. I saw Eren shake Jean’s hand when he hopped out of the cart and then they both proceeded to help Historia get out of the back on the cart with a small bundle in her arms. I was proud that Eren had accepted his sister’s choice and didn’t hold any grudges, despite the bad history he and Jean had from when they had first met. 

“Hey Levi!” Jean yelled as he saw me approaching. 

“Welcome. Glad you all made it safely. Hope you didn’t have any trouble along the way.” I asked.

“The trip itself was fine- we made good time. Probably went faster than we should have but the baby got fussy most of the time. We could only take so much, even though Historia did her best to calm him.”

“So you two had a boy?” I asked and Eren came over to stand next to me and Historia handed the baby to his mother.

Mikasa introduced us to her son, as she unwrapped him slightly from his blanket, “This is Leo Marco Kirschstein.”

Eren just seemed in awe of the tiny bundle, not sure what to make of him but looked proud regardless. “Kirschstein? Did you two get married?” He seemed a little distraught at this revelation.

“No silly, we wanted to wait until we got here with everyone. Erwin promised to marry us as soon as we got here. I refused to have my wedding without my brother there by my side. We never expected to have a baby before then; we thought we were being careful but this little guy had other ideas. I’m sorry that you had to find out about your nephew like that, Eren. Armin sent a letter when they got here that you were quite upset about the situation.” Mikasa explained while the little guy started to fidget in her arms.

Eren couldn’t take his eyes off the baby- he was totally enthralled. “I wasn’t mad or anything. It was just the shock and I didn’t even know you and Jean were together, let alone having a baby. And I was being selfish thinking about how I had wanted to see you and couldn’t because of your situation. But here you all are and I couldn’t be happier. Levi and I made sure to get your new home all set up with the basics for the baby. We’ll walk you there to your house and Jean and I can unpack your stuff and get the horses settled.”  
“Thank you, you guys are the best. We missed you. I’m glad everyone is doing so well and just look at this place. It’s incredible.”

“It’s a lot of hard work, so we will appreciate having you guys here to help, but we learned that we can sustain our own little community just fine.” Levi explained.

“We’ll be sure to pitch in and pull our own weight. Let’s go so we can get all unpacked and caught up with each over. It’s been a year- I know there has to be tons to tell us.”

“And it’s almost feeding time for little Leo,” Historia chimed in. “Do you want me to take him, Mikasa?”

“No thank you, I have him. You spent most of the last few weeks with him so Jean and I could take turns driving. We are forever grateful but I want to enjoy him for a little while.”

“Of course, let’s go get you all settled into your house.”

A few hours later, the newcomers were all set in their home and Eren asked if he could hold and feed the baby. “I need to get to know my nephew, after all,” he said as he settled down in a chair. Everyone else was already seated around the kitchen table when Jean asked me to sit down as well. The chairs were already occupied but Jean offered to get an extra one they had brought with them. 

When I saw the chair that Jean was carrying in, I damn near dropped the glass of water I had just gotten. It was that chair- the most fucking uncomfortable chair in the entire world. I hadn’t seen that fucker since the last day Eren had spent in the dungeon room. “Where the hell did you find that awful thing?”

Before the rest of the group left, Hanji brought it over to us and said they didn’t have room in their cart and told us to be sure to bring it with us when we came. She said it had a lot of sentimental value. I had no idea what she meant but I made sure to pack it. Doesn’t seem like anything special to me, in fact, it doesn’t seem like it would be very comfortable.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I muttered angrily and Eren just laughed softly, not wanting to startle Leo while he was eating so peacefully in his arms. 

“I remember that chair- that was the replacement one that was in my dungeon room, right Levi?” Eren asked innocently enough, not fully knowing the entire story of the chair saga. “Not sure whatever happened with the original chair, but this one was much worse.”

I just turned fifty shades of red and chose to ignore the comment Eren had made, remembering too damn clearly what had happened. I guess I did owe some thanks to the chairs, as they did play their role in my current relationship with Eren. Who knows? Maybe we never would have gotten together if there had been a beautiful, plush chair in that room instead. I couldn’t even imagine what my life would be now without Eren. I was honestly happy, comfortable in all we had and shared together. I looked at him sitting there, surrounded by his friends and family and knew he was genuinely happy too. Times might get tough and tempers might flare but we would always be able to find our comfort in each other’s fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is. I am happy that I have completed the story- my longest one ever to date. I'm also sad to see it end. I will be doing a sequel, though it won't be right away since I have a few plot bunnies I put aside to make sure I finished this one. For everyone who has read through it, gave kudos or was kind enough to leave comments, I give my heartfelt thanks. I was only able to get through this with your gracious encouragement. I do hope you enjoyed the ride and will check out the sequel when I post it!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, I know this story starts off slow and will take a while developing the relationship. Hopefully, readers will stick with it and I will do my best to make it worth the ride. I tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible so please let me know what you think and thanks for reading!


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